


Geist

by CatLady86



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Blood and Violence, Canonical Character Death, First Time, Ghosts, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Out of Character, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Smoking, Spoilers, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2018-12-04 16:25:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 76,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11558985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatLady86/pseuds/CatLady86
Summary: A young teen finds himself moving out of his parents' house and into his own home that he purchased relatively cheap due to some "odd occurrences" experienced by former occupants. But he soon discovers that the rumors are true and meets the three earthbound spirits who turn his world upside down.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, another non-kinkmeme creation, but I'm returning to my roots with some good ol' Gladnoct. Enjoy! :D

The night is chilly, with a small breeze that causes the branches of an old weeping willow to tap against the side of an old and weathered house. It was built more than five hundred years prior, on what was once a grand palace’s stairwell; or so the legends say. There are not many people who know the tale of “The True King”; who brought an end to the never ending darkness; nor do they seem to care. The tales of daemons, gods who walked the earth, magic, oracles, and kings are now fairy tales that are laughed at as untrue and balderdash. But they weren't tossed out a window by an angry spirit either after they mistakenly mocked the legend, nor were they possessed by some unseen demonic force that tricked them into murdering their family.

A loud bang rattles the house to its very core followed by a crash as a petrified couple flee from the old house, hopping into their car and driving away, never to return. Three figures stand in the attic window, watching the car leave, a sense of sadness emanating from them before disappearing.

Four years pass by without anyone purchasing the old house until the price drops drastically low and catches the eye of a young man looking to escape from out from under his parents' thumbs and live on his own as he attends college. So now the realtor stands out front of the house, waiting for the potential buyer to show up; he’s an hour late. She sighs deeply and checks her watch, fidgeting around and become more and more creeped out by the feeling she is being watched. Finally, a rundown car rolls up to the front and parks, an unkempt teen stepping out and tossing a cigarette butt away. The realtor groans as the scrubby youth walks up to the fence and takes in the site of the old house, catching a glimpse of something in the top window, but decides it was nothing as he turns to her and extends his hand with a smile.

“Hey, I’m Noct, I’m the one who called about the house.”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.” she says and shakes his hand. “Now if you’ll follow me, I’ll take you on a tour of the house.” 

She leads him to the house as she explains about the giant willow tree that has stood long before the house was built and points out the small koi pond next to it along with the tire swing hanging from the tree. She takes him into the house and shows him around the expansive house. From the downstairs where a small laundry room is located along with an even smaller bathroom, the large family room with a fireplace, an open kitchen, and dining room. She then leads him upstairs where she shows him the four bedrooms, each with their own connected bathroom, before leading him into the small attic that had been used before as a small workspace by one of the previous owners, which also smells of gunpowder. She finally leads him back downstairs and heads towards the backyard but not before showing him where the basement door is and informing him that's where he’ll find the breaker and furnace. They exit through the back door and onto a large porch where a wooden bench sits by a small side table.

Noctis steps off the porch and takes in his surroundings. A large wooden fence stretches across the backyard with a lush but eerie forest behind it. He spots the remnants of a flower garden that has now been overtaken by weeds, except for a lone blue flower that stands defiantly in contrast to the weeds. He walks over to it and crouches before gently touching the petals, a soft smile tugging at his lips before he feels a shiver run up his spine and turns to look up at the attic window, but only catching a glimpse of something yellow. 

“So, what do you think?” the realtor asks, hoping the teen approves.

“It’s really nice here, maybe a bit big for just me but I could always rent the rooms out.” he says and turns an incredulous eye to the realtor. “Okay, what’s the catch. I know a place like this could easily go for a quarter of a million so something really bad must have happened for it to drop to below ten thousand. Was there a horrific murder, crazed occultists performing seances and ritualistic sacrifices, do the walls ooze blood, or maybe the basement constantly floods?”

The woman makes a nervous face and sucks air in through her clenched teeth. “There was a murder over a hundred years ago, a man slaughtered his family but it was reported he suffered from an illness long before moving into the house. Also, some of the previous owners have reported certain strange activities taking place in the house. Some of them claimed it was so bad they would have been driven mad if they stayed any longer.”

“So like, ghosts?” he says and folds his arms while raising an eyebrow.

“Y, yes?” 

Noctis turns back towards the house, giving it a quick look over before turning back to the realtor and smiling. “As long as they stay out of my underwear drawer and don’t eat all of my food, I don’t mind some poltergeist shit.” 

The woman gasps and smiles. “So you mean you’ll-” 

“Yup, I’ll take it The price is too good to pass up.”

The woman dances around excitedly before shaking the teen's hand and leading him back inside to begin the process of filling out the paperwork.

It takes a couple of days for the paperwork to be completely filed and authenticated and only a few hours for Noctis to move his sparse belongings from his parents home into his new place; it also helped the place was already furnished from the previous owners who didn’t want any of it.

So now the teen dances around his living room in nothing but a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, a bottle of liquor he managed to pilfer from his parents in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He shakes his hips to the beat as he sings along to the song, takes a quick drag from his cigarette and a sip from his bottle before returning to his single person dance party. He spins around on his heels and out the corner of his eye he spots a figure leaning up against the fireplace, a shit-eating grin on their face. Noct flinches towards the fireplace and gasps loudly, but nothing is there. He looks around at his surroundings but doesn’t see anyone else there and gets a whiff of a floral scent. 

“Guess it’s time to put away the booze.” he says to himself and places the cap back on the bottle and stores it in his bare cabinet, deciding he’ll stop by the grocery store after his classes to pick up food. The teen takes one last puff from his cig and puts it out in a decorative ceramic bowl turned ashtray and begins to turn off the lights and the radio, bidding a cheeky goodnight to various appliances. Noct makes his way upstairs and heads into the first and largest bedroom, the one that is also furthest away from the creepy-ass attic. He stops in the doorway, looks down the long hallway and smiles. “Goodnight the maybe ghosts that live here with me. Don’t try to rape me in the middle of the night, I’m a virgin so I’d be a poor lay.” 

He then shuts the hall light off and heads into his room while shutting the door, unaware of the looming figure standing by the window at the end of the hall. The teen goes into his bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth before crawling into his large and warm bed, snuggling into the covers and nodding off into a deep sleep. The house goes silent save for the ticking of the old grandfather clock in the living room and the soft creaking created by the wind blowing against the outside. It gets to after midnight when Noctis begins to toss and turn, a pained expression tugging at his features. He rolls onto his side and whimpers pitifully but a hand softly reaches out to caress his face and a quiet voice shushes him, telling him he’ll be all right which calms the teen’s nightmare. The hand continues to softly pet him, moving his hair from his face and only stopping when the teen stirs and shifts to his stomach.

But the teen doesn’t remain still for long when he slowly sits himself up, eyes still shut and slides from the bed. He sleepwalks his way towards his door and reaches out to paw for the door handle, eventually finding it and turning the knob. He exits the room and begins to head towards the stairwell as if some unseen force is leading him in that direction. He slowly makes his way down the steps and walks towards the back door as a low and guttural growl erupts from out of thin air. The door begins to rattle, as whispers call out to him to follow them, and then the door slowly creaks open. A dark figure stands in the open doorway, beckoning the teen to come outside and join it in the darkness. 

_“YOU WILL NOT TAKE HIM!”_ a loud and booming voice echoes through the house.

The black figure shrieks inhumanly and disappears as the doorway slams shut, making some pictures on the nearby wall crash to the floor. With the demonic mass no longer looming, Noct’s body stops its movement and goes to collapse but he is caught before he can hit the floor. 

_"Don’t worry, I have you.”_

The teen is gently lifted up into an unseen figures arms and is carried back upstairs into his bedroom, getting tucked back in tenderly. He groans softly and turns onto his side, clutching the pillow next to him and hugging it tightly. Three figures stand prone at the end of the bed, with an aura of joy but also concern radiating from them. 

_"Heh. Even after being reborn, kid’s still a scrawny little shit.”_

_"He returned to us. I am so happy.”_

_“But this poses a great problem, we are not the only ones trapped here. The daemons will continue to try and lure him to them.”_

_“Then we will stay with him and protect him like we done all those centuries ago.”_

_“We will keep you safe, Noctis.”_

The three spirits remain by the teen's bedside until the sun rises and the daemons no longer pose a threat. His alarm begins to blare, informing him it is time to wake for the day, but he just groans, turns towards it and gives it a quick smack that shuts it off. Noctis snuggles down deeper under his comforter and starts to nod off again. The blanket slowly begins to slide down his form but he grabs and pulls it back up around his neck. His leg is then yanked roughly causing him to startle awake and gasp as he scans the room, finding nothing. The teen groans and rubs his face before yawning and finally getting up to prepare for his classes.

More strange occurrences take place as he readies himself, with his dirty clothes placed inside a basket and a fresh pair; sans his underwear; folded neatly on his crisply made bed with the smell of spices wafting through the air. Noctis stares in confuzzlement, unsure if he should be unnerved by the OCD spirit or pleased that he has a Nanny ghost; he chooses the latter. 

“Why thank you kind sir or madam, and thank you for staying out of my unmentionables.” he titters and takes out his underwear on his own, proceeding to dress. 

He heads downstairs and peers into his kitchen dejectedly since he has nothing to eat. 

“You can’t by chance poof something into existence, can you? Maybe like a granola bar?” he asks to the thin air, looking around expectantly but nothing manifests. “Hmm, guess not. Oh well, I’m gonna stop at the store later anyway. Anything you want, Mr. or Miss Ghost?” Noctis says cheekily and doesn’t get a response. “Well all right then, see you later, or not. No wild ghost orgies while I’m gone.” 

The teen heads out to his classes, managing to stay awake through most of them while also doodling in his notebook, imagining what his potential otherworldly roommate might look like; was it male or female, does it look the way it did when it died, or how old the ghost is? He always had a deep fascination with the supernatural which didn’t make him many friends with a few exceptions like the self-proclaimed psychic he meet in middle school along with her overly handsy boyfriend and a few of his closest friends that would always tag along. He could give them a buzz, maybe Luna could communicate with the ghost or have a seance and summon the spirit into the human realm, but then Nyx might try to play grab ass with it, or him. His final class ends and he prepares to take his leave when a group of his classmates corners him. 

“Can I help you?” Noct asks eying them nervously. 

“We heard you bought that old creepy ass house, must have cost a pretty Gil.” one of the men says while grinning. 

“Yeah, I did but the price was drastically reduced. Didn’t cost all that much.” the teen says and tries to bypass him but is blocked. 

“Whoa, what’s the rush buddy? How about you invite us over, we’ll have a nice little house warming party with ya, break in that new place.” the man says with his grin growing wider. “Maybe even see if the place is really haunted as people claim, try to conjure the supposed ghosts.” 

“I’ll think about it.” Noct snips and finally pushes past them, making haste to his vehicle. 

He sighs in relief once he gets into his car, knowing that group to be kind of shady and into hard partying. Not to say Noctis is a stick in the mud, he just prefers more laid back company. He kind of misses his friends, but they were all a bit older than him and are off adulting while he attends college and lazes about enjoying a good drink, video games, and the occasional blunt; for medical reasons of course. He leaves the school’s parking lot and stops by the local grocery to stockpile on a variety of instant meals that he doesn’t have to take much effort to make along with some snack foods he can engorge himself on at night. He arrives back to his abode and begins to carry the bags of groceries to the house. He shuffles the bags around the get to his keys when he hears a click and the door creeks open. The teen blinks in slight shock but then grins ear to ear. 

“Well now, you sure do know how to make a guy feel welcome.” 

He steps into the house and hears the door shut behind him as he makes his way to the kitchen, depositing the bags onto the center island. He starts to unpack the fridge items and places them inside while also grabbing a soda to drink. Multiple cupboards close in succession making him snap around to find the rest of the items put away. 

“Wow, either you have strong ghost powers or there is more than one of you.” Three taps knock against something wooden, almost making him jump out of his skin. “Wait, are you trying to communicate with me?” he asks and gets one knock this time, making him giddy. “This is so damn awesome, my very own home with my very own ghost, ghosts?” 

There's a knock again making him quiver in glee. He gets an idea of something he learned from Nyx’s friend Crowe and dashes to the less-creepy-in-the-daytime attic and grabs one of the large whiteboards and markers he saw while thoroughly snooping around after he got done with the realtor. He dashes back down the two flights of stairs and jumps midway down to the living room and dumps the items onto the floor in a heap before going to retrieve a shot glass. Noctis returns to the pile and begins to write numbers and letters across the board along with the words yes and no in the bottom corners. He sits back and marvels at his homemade spirit board, telling himself to thank the brunette woman for showing him how to do this. The teen places the glass in the center of the board, takes a deep breath, and begins to try and communicate. 

“Alright, so here’s how you do this. I ask you a question and you move the glass to either the yes or no, a number, or you spell out what you want me to know. Okay?” he asks and waits, nothing. He sighs deeply. “Hey come on, don’t be shy. If we’re going to be living together, I would like to get to know you better. Or is it you all?” 

The glass slowly begins to putter forward, stopping over top of the number three. A broad grin stretches across his face, he has three ghosts living with him, three new friends. 

“Awesome, okay next question. Umm, hmm.” he tries to come up with the next questions but finds it hard since there are so many possible choices. But he ultimately decides to start with the basics. “Okay, so we’ll start like this. Who did I see standing in the attic window the day I arrived to look the place over, I remember seeing yellow. Give me your name.” 

The makeshift planchette begins to slide across the board, spelling out the answer to his inquiry. The teen knits his brows, a strange feeling tugging at his heartstrings as he receives his first answer. P-R-O-M-P-T-O. 

“Prompto eh, nice. Who was the one standing by the fireplace when I was making a fool of myself last night?” 

The next response comes quickly after he asks. G-L-A-D-I-O-L-U-S. He feels another throb in his chest but ignores it and snickers. 

“Gladiolus? So, what did you think, did I have some sweet moves or what?” The cursor slides to NO, making the teen grumble lowly. “All right. So who is my little helper buddy, the one that cleaned up after me this morning?” 

The glass slowly begins to shift before being knocked onto its side and then righted as it slowly makes its way across the board. I-G-N-I-S. The feeling returns but he again brushes it off. 

“Ignis huh? So, we have ourselves a sausage party, I’m cool with that.” he chuckles softly and goes about asking more questions of his three ghost bros. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

He has managed to get some more answers from the ghosts, learning that they died in battle during the “The True King” era, which people nowadays don’t believe was true; but this excites the teen enormously since he likes that sort of stuff. When he asks them to manifest themselves for him to see, they reply with a simple _‘no’_. The teen doesn’t relent and badgers them again, getting the word _‘brat’_ spelled out. He just groans and moves to another set of questions but they are all ignored until the letters are smudged away and the words ‘resting until night now’ is written across the board by one of the ghosts, making Noctis blink and sigh.

“Well shit, I could have just had you guys write on the board instead of this, would have saved me some time and thinking.” he says and gets an immediate reply of _‘lazy ass’_. “Geez, you sound like my dad now. But anyway have a nice sleep, maybe I’ll take one too.”

He picks himself off the floor and walks over to the large sectional and flops down, moving himself into a more comfortable position. Noctis yips as he is yanked from the couch while the mess on the floor gets a swift push to draw his attention to it. He guesses he won’t always get a free pass with cleaning up. He grumbles and drags himself over to the mess until he notices his schoolbag being dragged over and set on the coffee table. The teen groans louder and slumps his shoulders in exaggeration.

“Oh come on, I moved out of my parent’s house to get away from this crap.” he huffs but then he notices a glass of milk and a couple cookies being sat down by his school bag. “Huh, well that’s very kind of you, umm Ignis?”

He feels a hand pat him on the head like a puppy being rewarded, making him slightly annoyed but also sad. He goes about cleaning up his mess before sulking over to start on his school work while also enjoying the snack set out for him. After an hour trying to do his Statistics homework the teen groans and throws his pencil down, an aching headache forming.

He sinks back against the couch and goes to take his phone from his pocket but then quickly looks around to his surroundings, as if he could even see his ghostly roommates, before settling in with his phone. Noct begins to scroll through his messages, wondering if he should send one to Luna but ultimately decides to wait since she is still probably setting up her new shop across town. He grows bored of slogging through all the junk mail and his curiosity gets the better of him when he pulls up his phone's web browser and types in about the lore of “The True King”. Mostly all that comes up are conspiracy theory forums, crackpots claiming to be descendants of the king and his allies, and old museum articles about items discovered while excavating the area where his house is located that have since been destroyed after a mysterious fire broke out. He grows bored of this as well, wondering if he should go and troll the kooks on the conspiracy threads but changes his mind when he thinks some of them probably have mad hacking skills and could find out where he lives.

So now the teen sits in his creepily quiet house, tapping his finger to the sound of the grandfather clock’s ticks. He sighs deeply and looks out the large bay window towards the expansive forest behind his property, before remembering the lone blue flower in the overgrown garden. Noctis stands from the couch and heads towards the back door that leads him to his backyard. He steps quickly off the porch and makes his way over to the old wooden shed by the fence where he manages to find some gardening equipment, a ceramic pot, potting soil, and gloves. He takes the items to the old garden and gets to work carefully digging up the blue flower and replanting it in the pot. 

“And there you go, a much nicer place than amongst all those weeds.”

Noctis brushes some dirt off its petals while smiling tenderly at it but then stops and feels a cold chill run down his spine as goose bumps form on his bare skin. He quickly turns in different directions but doesn’t see anything but can feel something very odd, not like the feeling he gets from inside the house. His gaze falls upon the forest, feeling as though something is calling for him, and slowly stands. The deep blue of his eyes turn hazy and he begins to slowly step towards the fence that separates his yard from the large forest. The light breeze begins to pick up as the sky begins to darken and the clouds become heavy and gray. He slides the gloves off his hands before climbing up on a wooden fence beam, it slightly creaking from his weight on it. He slings a leg over the other side and goes to pull his other one over but stops as he shakes his head and groans, coming to. Noctis looks around bewilderedly, wondering how he got on the fence and why he is straddling it.

A droplet of rain hits his cheek as the sky opens up and begins to downpour. He squeaks in an undignified way and begins to dash for the house before quickly turning back to grab the blue flower. The teen sheds his shoes and soaked jacket outside the back door before padding back into his home, the potted flower held lovingly to his chest. He places it in the bay window, moving it to different positions before finding the perfect spot for it and taking a seat on the sil to look out at the rain.

A slight bit of loneliness comes over him, making him sort of miss his parents and their constant nagging presence. But he knows he can’t call them, with him being blacklisted after his blowup with his father when he told his parents he used some of the money from his trust fund to purchase this house. He can still feel the sting on his cheek from where his father’s hand had landed, can still hear his mother’s choked out sobs about her baby leaving her and then pleading with her husband not to strike the boy again. He rests his head against the glass and sighs out deeply, before drawing a face in the fog from where his hot breath misted against the window. He hears a soft breath from the side of him and sees the window fog up with a flower manifesting in the haze.

“That’s so cool!” the teen chirps and looks to where he believes the ghost to be. “So what other things can you do?”

Noctis waits eagerly for the ghost to do something awesome but nothing comes of it, making the teen whine. He hears a faint chuckle along with something mumbled he can't quite make out and is hoisted into the air making him gasp loudly while flailing. He is carefully spun around making the teen laugh and shriek with pure excitement before he is gently returned to the ground. 

“Awesome! So awesome! Do something else!” he cheers before he feels multiple pokes at his sides, making him howl with more laughter. “HEY! No fair! Hee hee!”

Noctis crumbles to the floor in a fit of laughter as the unseen tickle assault continues. The teasing ends and the teen lays on the floor, panting for air as tears stream down his red cheeks. He catches a quick glance of the figure, seeing a wide smile stretched across a lightly tanned face. Noctis blinks as his eyes regain their focus but the ghost has disappeared making the teen frown. 

“Aww, no fair. Why do you always go invisible as soon as I catch a glimpse? You’re like a spectral cocktease.” he grumps and feels a soft smack in admonishing against his forehead making the teen huff. “You are so mean, uhhh? Gladiolus?” He feels something take his hand and drag across his palm; the letter Y. “Yea, I guessed correctly. What’s my prize?”

The teen looks around hopefully, maybe he’ll finally get a full view of the ghost or more crazy tricks. Instead, a loud bang startles him and he finds his statistics book on the floor next to him, making him groan and flop onto his back with a whine.

“Such a slave driver.” he wibbles out but then hears water running and something being taken from a cabinet. He cranes himself to look into the kitchen and sees a noodle cup hovering in mid-air under the faucet until it is filled and put into the microwave. The teen gasps with delight. “You’re cooking ramen for me? Wow, feels like I’m married.” 

Noctis begins to chuckle and rolls away as a plastic fruit is tossed at him. He snatches the decoration and lobs it back, snickering when he sees it stop in mid-air. He decides to stop messing around and get back to his homework as his ghostly retainer makes his dinner. The noodle cup and a fork are brought over to him, being set gently down on the floor before he feels something jostle his black mop. He flails his hands around until he strikes something and latches on, grinning like a fox as the unseen person tries to shake him off. 

“I’ll let go if you let me see you.” he says but then gets a tickle assault to his sides making him release the invisible appendage. 

He hears a beep and a light flashes along with a clicking noise that startles him. He looks to the end table across from him and sees the old Polaroid camera he found at an antique shop print out a photo. The teen crawls over to it and takes it, looking at the unexposed picture and shakes it before looking at it with a smile. It’s of him, on the floor as a large white apparition hovers over him with what appears to be hands placed at his side. But what amuses him more is the image appearing in the corner, as if another one of the ghosts were trying to take a selfie with him and the other ghost in the background.

“Holy shit that’s so cool!” Noctis says and grabs the camera, taking another shot towards the kitchen. The photo prints and after a quick shake he looks at the developed image, seeing three forms this time. “I wish more detail came out, I really want to see you all better.” 

The teen forces out a deep sigh before crawling over to his noodle cup and flopping down on his belly, engorging himself as he continues his homework. The empty container is cleaned up for him as he continues to do his work, with him rattling off a quick “thank you” to the ghost who he correctly identifies as Ignis. He hears the camera go off a couple of times as he lazes about the floor doing his work and even makes funny faces towards the device, laughing gleefully when the picture is captured. He takes a guess that the shutterbug is Prompto, getting several pokes to the cheeks afterward making him chuckle. It makes him thrilled that he started to peg down what each of their nuances and quirks are, learning even more as the night drudges on.

He finds that Prompto has a fascination with electronics and other gadgets since his cell keeps being confiscated and played on, also the radio turns off and on randomly along with the television, and he keeps taking the teen's picture. Ignis is nurturing and tidy, bringing him drinks and a snack before cleaning the mess up and giving a tender pat to the teen’s head. And then there’s Gladiolus. He’s a bit of a hardass, snatching away Noctis’ phone when he begins to get antsy and ignores his school work or drags the teen back to his books when he tries to crawl after an object that is teasingly dangled around him; but he also has a soft side to him apparently, due to the tickle attack he received early and now after he admonished the boy for trying to balk from his studies for the umpteenth time has begun to rub his back soothingly. Noctis unintentionally moans from the message, with it feeling wonderful on his scarred back from an accident and surgery he had as a child. He slowly rests his head down on top of his biology book, closing his eyes and melting at the touch. It’s a strange sensation to experience but he enjoys it, finds it soothing. His breathing begins to slow as he falls into a relaxed slumber atop his school book, a succession of chuckles echoing around the room. 

_“Aww, look it. Sleeping like a baby, must have really liked that back rub.”_

_“He sure did, that’s something different from the old Noct.”_

_“Yes, I do recall His Highness being uncomfortable whenever someone would touch his back, due to the wounds he sustained from the Marilith attack.”_

The teen’s shirt is carefully pushed upwards, exposing his back and the long surgical scar that runs up his spine along with a few punctures. A large finger drags down the length of the marred flesh, causing the young boy to arch up and softly sigh before resting back down. His shirt is pulled back down and he is gently rolled onto his back before he is carefully lifted into a bridal carry.

_“I’ll put him to bed and take the first watch, we’ll switch off in four hours.”_

The figure carries Noctis to his bedroom and lays him gently down on the bed. The teen must have unconsciously sensed his bed, for he slowly scuttles towards his pillows and begins to burrow under the covers. He is stopped though, with his jeans being pulled off along with his socks and his button up shirt being taken off. The ghost is unable to properly dress him in nightwear when the teen succeeds in burritoing himself in his blankets with a deep and contented sigh. The large figure shuts the light off before taking a spot next to the blanket bundle, hooking an arm around the teen and pulling him close. The boy wiggles around and turns himself towards his ghostly roommate, snuggling up to the protective mass encompassing his body.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait til tomorrow to put this up and keep with my every five days upload scheme but I couldn't help myself. Thank you all for reading and leaving lovely comments, it brings me much joy. :D

A new morning ritual has begun ever since the ghosts made their presence known to him, but what takes place depends on which one of the spirits are awake at that time. With Nana Ignis, he finds his clothes neatly set out for him, his bed made, and a nice breakfast awaits him when he goes downstairs. He even has a prepackaged snack for school, but it's always fruit. Big Bro Prompto isn’t as shy about placing his underwear with his chosen clothes; something Noct has decided to let slide; his bed is also made even if it is not as nicely done as Ignis’. Eggs with a side of toast greet him for breakfast and his snack pack usually consists of cheese crackers, cookies, or chips; he likes when Prompto chooses his snacks. And of course, when it comes to Drill Sergeant Gladiolus nothing is made easy for him. He has to make his own bed, pick out his own clothing, make his own breakfast, and pack his own snacks in a timely fashion or he’s dragged out the door with it locked behind him; Noct finds it scarily similar to his father's methods. But there is one thing that makes his mornings with the grumpy ghost tolerable, he gets a hug. Even if he is being rushed, the ghost will still take a few seconds to strongly embrace the teen and then toss his ass onto the porch. He does wonder at times why they treat him so nicely, but he just chalks it up to them trying to keep him there, or that maybe they were lonely like him, or just really bored. Noct could try to ask them, but they’ll probably just be cryptic shits and ignore him. And speaking of ignoring. 

“Hey, hey buddy?” 

The same group from the prior week has taken to pestering him to invite them over, but the teen either acts as he didn’t hear them or strikes up a conversation with one of his instructors in the guise of wanting to get to know them better; which unfortunately led to him discovering his Biology Teacher has a hammer toe. _Eww_. But today they cornered him during his break and with no instructors around to tell him their life stories to either. 

“Come on man, don’t be a bore. Throw a party in that kick ass mansion. We know some girls we can invite too. One might even be up your alley too, she’s a bit of an occult freak. It’ll be a sweet party.”

Noctis rolls his eyes. _Yeah, for you idiots. I’ll be stuck cleaning up your messes and having my stuff stolen._ But there’s also the thing with his roommates, he’s pretty sure two of the three would not approve of him inviting these douches over. Although maybe he can sick Gladiolus on them, like an unseen guard dog.

“No.” Noctis says pointedly and takes out his snack. _Ooh, the cheddar fish crackers. Prompto is the best._

__“Man fuck this.” one of the others says and smacks the head of the group’s arm. “He’s being a shit, let’s go.”_ _

__The group finally leaves Noct alone, allowing him to enjoy his snack in peace. Besides, it’s Friday and a movie he’s been wanting to see for a while is on the free channels. He makes a mental note to stop by the store after school to grab popcorn and soda. The rest of his classes go by and he heads off to procure his snacks before heading back to his abode._ _

__“Honies, I’m home!” he chuckles to his ghostly companions, not even sure any of them are about._ _

__He sheds his coat and shoes before dumping his bookbag over by the couch and then sticking one of his soda’s in the freezer. Noct decides it would be wise to get a start on his homework now, so that way he can mess around for a good chunk of the weekend without having Gladiolus or Ignis; who has also now taken to silently scolding him when he slacks off; bust his ass to do his homework. He perches himself in the bay window by the blue flower and begins to work on his math. A loud thud against the glass startles him, sending him falling to the floor. He looks up and sees a crow laying lifeless on the outside sill either unconscious or dead. He taps on the glass to see if he can stir it awake but the bird doesn’t budge making Noctis frown._ _

__“Oh man, guess I should bury you little dude.”_ _

__He goes and puts on his shoes and coat before going out back, stopping to look at the bird again. He grabs a broom he has by the door and uses it to nudge the crow, finding it still unmoving. Noct sighs and goes to his shed, getting a small hand shovel and begins digging a hole by the stairs. Once he feels it’s deep enough he goes to retrieve the dead bird for burial. The teen cradles the dead avian in his gloved hands and kneels before the freshly dug hole, giving a eulogy for the departed bird._ _

__“Now I lay thee poor Mr. Crow, in this grave I have dug for you. May you rest in the afterlife with all the worms your tummy can hold.”_ _

__A deep rumbling rips through the sky, as dark gray clouds begin to roll in. Noctis looks up and begins to feel droplets hit his face, but then a loud cawing makes him flinch as the bird springs to life and lunges at his face, scratching his cheek before flying off._ _

__“Well forget everything I said bastard! I hope a cat eats your ass!” he shouts to the bird as he wipes his cheek on his jacket sleeve, seeing a large smattering of blood. “Shit.”_ _

__He sheds the dirty gloves and darts back into the house quickly, rushing to the small downstairs bathroom where he grabs a bottle of peroxide and a cotton ball. He washes his face with warm water and mild soap before looking to the multiple scratches that begin to bleed again. He grimaces at the sight and uncaps the peroxide, pouring a bit onto a cotton ball and lightly dabbing the wounds._ _

__“Shit shit shit.” he hisses due to the stinging._ _

__He tosses the bloody cotton ball away and grabs a paper towel to press against the cuts. He frowns a bit, remembering how his mother would fuss when he would get injured. She would clean and bandage him up before pressing a kiss to the injury to make him feel better, even when he was sixteen. Noctis walks from the bathroom back into the lounge and looks out the large window, seeing as a heavy downpour beats against the porch. A quick flash of lightning makes him jump along with the house rattling thunder afterward that signifies a nasty storm is starting. He just hopes the power doesn’t go out where he can’t watch his movie. The teen tottles to his kitchen to make a quick and simple dinner while also looking around for any signs of his ghosts. They are unnaturally silent right now, he would have at least expected one of them to be messing around or poking at him. So Noct continues to heat up his microwave macaroni and cheese, watching the lightning spider web through the dark sky before a loud rumbling shakes the house. He eventually makes himself cozy in the old recliner across from the surprisingly newish flat screen perched on the wall over the fireplace and flips through the channels as he eats his soggy noodles and cheese. He stops on the home shopping network, having a weird fascination with the tan middle-aged women, their hideous clothing, pancaked makeup, and ginormous teased hair; them peddling the latest tacky jewelry, soulless big-eyed figurine, or butt boosting workout equipment. The teen chokes momentarily as one of the mildly overweight cougars get down on the floor with the beefy fitness guy who is showing how to use the product and oggles his ass; he does have a nice ass though. But then the television fizzes out along with the rest of the electricity in the house._ _

__“Curse you Cumulonimbus!” the teen snaps and shakes his fist towards the kitchen window. But then he notices something very odd, his neighbors all still power. “Nevermind. Curse you rickety old haunted house with your faulty wiring and breakers in the creepy ass basement!”_ _

__The teen takes out his phone and turns on the flashlight app, sighing and walking towards the basement door. He stops and looks around, calling out and asking if one of his ghost buddies would be so kind as to go down there instead. Nothing. A grumble and quick prayer later, the black-haired teen slowly walks down the creaky wooden stairs to the main section of the basement and makes his way to the breaker box. He holds his phone in his mouth as he checks each of the switches, seeing if any of them popped, and to his surprise and slight fear none of them have been turned off. Noctis groans in frustration, not knowing what else the problem is. Maybe the ghosts have a clue, but they haven’t come out to play yet. So with a deep sigh, Noct closes the breaker box and begins to turn when something heavy cracks him across the back of the head, knocking him to the floor as his vision spins and a horrendous pain flares through his skull. He hears the muffled voices from the dark but can’t see his assailant. It couldn’t be the ghosts, could it? Would they go through all the trouble of fawning over him to just end up trying to kill him? He feels someone grab him by the wrists and drag him back towards the stairway, with someone else grabbing his ankles and carrying him up the stairs. More muffled voices echo through his living room as loud footsteps trample around upstairs. His vision begins to come back to him and he sees multiple figures standing around, dressed in all black and holding flashlights; it’s the group from his college plus some others. A young girl with heavily overdone makeup looms over top of him with a smile as she produces an ornate dagger from her jacket. More loud footsteps and door slams come from upstairs as someone shouts down saying they can't find anything worthwhile._ _

__“Man, what a fucking waste of time. There ain't shit to steal in this place.” one of the men grumbles to the others. “And the television is bolted to the damn wall.”_ _

__“Hmm, no matter. We can make some quick Gil for selling some paranormal shit to those freaks we talked to online.” another one of the men says and turns to the girl looming over Noctis. “Yo, you ready or not.”_ _

__“Yeah, light the candles, clear a space in the center of the room and draw a circle for me.” she says and drags the blade against Noct’s chest. “We’ll use him as a conduit for the spirits, or sacrifice if they want.”_ _

__Loud dragging and more footsteps echo throughout the once quiet house as they set up their makeshift summoning circle with Noct dragged to the middle, still slightly out of it and bleeding from his head. The front of his shirt is ripped open, the cool air making his skin form goosebumps, and the girl places the dagger in the center of his chest where a strange birthmark discolors his skin. She twists the blade in superficially, drawing some blood and making the teen whimper and gasp from the stinging pain. The group clusters around, with a few of them pulling out their phones to record as everyone covers their faces with either ski masks or a feathered and bejeweled mask in the case of the young girl. The house goes silent, save for the rapid pained gasps of air emitting from Noctis and the rain beating on the outside, and the attempted summoning begins._ _

__“I call upon the spirits residing in this house, give me a sign to let me know you can hear me!” the girl shouts to the air and waits. Nothing. “I demand your presence spirit, either manifest yourself in this boy or make a noise if you would rather have his virgin blood.”_ _

__There again is not a sound, making one of the group grow frustrated. “Just slit the little shit’s wrists and get on with it.”_ _

__Noct begins to panic and attempts to move away but he is pinned down by some of them as the girl crouches by one of his arms and lays the blade across his wrist. He shrieks loudly as the dagger is forcefully dragged across his flesh, cutting into skin that has been marred before from a dark time in the teen’s life. She repeats the same heinous act on his other before standing and calling out to the spirits once more. Soft whimpers and choked gasps tumble from Noctis’ quivering lips as he silently prays for help as he assailants laugh and continue to record him._ _

__“prom, iggy, gladio, help me”_ _

__A door slam from the upstairs make the group jump and gasp, one of the group shushes the others as they listen for any more activity._ _

__“Hey, everyone is down here, correct?”_ _

__“Yeah, no one should be up there.”_ _

__They listen with intrigue as loud and slow footsteps of heavy boots make their way across the wooden floor of the upstairs before stopping at the top of the steps that lead to the lounge where they are all gathered. One step, then another, and another. They turn their cameras and flashlights towards the stairwell as the thudding continues, but nothing can be seen as it sounds like the thing steps onto the hardwood flooring of the living room. A cold chill rips through the air as their breaths form slight clouds in front of their faces. But the house becomes silent of any more ghostly noises as the rain continues to beat against the outside of the house. A flash of light and crackling of thunder startles them as they whip around to see if anything is with them but it returns to its prior state of quietness with only the light of their flashlights and candles in the otherwise dark house._ _

__“Holy shit, we got something. Quick, try some more.” one of the camera wielders gleefully whispers to the others._ _

__The dagger-wielding girl leans down towards Noctis, an apologetic but snide smile creeping on her lips as she presses the blade to his throat. She looks up and smiles at the guy by the fireplace as he chuckles and snaps a shot on his camera. He checks the photo and goes silent, his eyes forming saucers and his body trembling._ _

__“Hey, what’s wrong?” one of the other’s ask as he looks to the frightened man._ _

__A quick flash of lightning illuminates the whole room and reveals the three looming figures standing like guards around the circle, with the largest facing towards the girl._ _

__“Fuck! Ru-” a dagger manifest and is tossed directly aside of the camera wielders head, slicing his cheek open before piercing the wall behind him._ _

__Shrieks of fear rip through the room as one of the guys gets tossed against the island counter in the kitchen and the girl feels a strong hand clamp down on her throat. She is hoisted into the air, her windpipe being squeezed to the point where even a smidge more tighter would crush it completely. Those who can, flee from the open back door as the others are slammed around like ragdolls or are smashed aggressively into walls or the floor. The girl begins to gag and choke, her feet kicking around trying to hit the unforeseen figure assaulting her but it’s to no avail._ _

__“gladio, don’t, kill her”_ _

__The girl is immediately dropped to the floor, holding her throat as gasping for precious air. She looks up and in the flash of lightning, sees the hateful glare of the large spirit, his amber eyes burning into her soul._ _

___“GET OUT!”_ _ _

__The girl scrambles to her feet and escapes along with the remaining group that the other two ghosts have stopped batting around. The door his harshly slammed shut and locked before the three spirits loom over the bloody and battered teen, their faces contorted in pain and anger. He can finally see them, their entire bodies are solid to him, allowing him to make out all the details. Prompto, blonde and freckled faced with a goatee on his chin and bright blue eyes looking mournfully at him. Ignis, slicked back sandy brown hair his left eye is scarred over while his other is a milky green color and there are other small scars spread across his face that shows deep concern. Gladiolus, thick dark brown hair tied up in a messy ponytail, dark amber eyes are slitted in anger but a deep sorrowful regret is etched on his tan face where two scars are adorned, one across his eye and the other his forehead. Tears spill down the teen’s cheeks, whether from the searing pain ripping through his body or some deep-rooted feelings he’s not for sure, but he hears sirens blare in the distance as he begins to lose consciousness._ _


	4. Chapter 4

Noct gasps awake, finding himself in an unfamiliar room with buzzing and beeping around him and an IV stuck in the back of his hand. He looks around at the white room before realizing he’s in the hospital with his wrists and head bandaged. Noct grabs the controller by his bed and presses the button to call the nurse who comes walking in with a smile on her face.

“Hello sweetheart, how do you feel?”

It’s a nurse he is quite familiar with, she originally worked in the hospital he stayed in for a couple weeks after he had his breakdown. She was very kind to him and talked to him like a person instead of just a patient. He weakly smiles at her getting a slight frown from her.

“Hey Monica, I’m sore but okay.” he says and sees the perturbed look on her face. “I didn’t do this, I was assaulted.”

“I know, but your doors were unlocked. If you want to be a big boy and live on your own you need to deadbolt your doors, even during the day or get a security system.” she lectures before taking a softer tone with him. “They caught the people who broke in and assaulted you. They all were freaked and said ghosts attacked them, but they found illegal substances in their systems so it’s believed they were in a drug induced stupor. They all confessed though and they found some jumbled recordings of them in your house so you won’t have testify against them.”

“Ah, I see.” Noctis frowns deeply, there were ghosts that attacked them and Gladiolus almost killed the girl until he told him to stop. Even if they were all assholes who tried to hurt him, he still didn’t want them killed. “How long have I been out, and how was I found?”

“It’s been over a day, and your neighbors were concerned since your power went out and then they heard strange noises coming from your house and seen a bunch of lights in the windows. They called the cops and when they arrived they found you unconscious.” 

The teen feels a gratefulness for his neighbors, that they know he lives alone and has no friends, but also to that they showed concern for him. “When will I be able to go back home?”

“Once we make sure everything is alright, you’ll be able to go home. We also heard from the cops that they did an entire sweep of your house, found no one remaining, and got your power back on.” she says but then grimaces. “But there are also two tiny problems you’ll have to contend with.”

“And that is?”

Monica purses her lips and exits the room, eventually returning with a middle aged couple. The woman looks horrified as she breaks down in tears while the man frowns and shakes his head.

“Hey Mom, Dad.”

“Noct.” his father says, his face morphing into anger.

“Oh! My poor baby.” his mother chokes out and holds his face in her hands tenderly before kissing his forehead. “Look at what those monsters did to you.” 

“I’m okay mom, nothing too bad.”

“It’s not okay Noctis.” his father snaps. “This is why we didn’t want you moving out on your own, you are too naive and stupid. They could have killed you!”

“I’m fine Dad,” Noct snaps back, exchanging glares with his father. “stop treating me like a baby!”

The doctor on duty storms in immediately after hearing the argument and reprimands the family for being loud and disruptive, before ordering Noct’s parents out of the room so he can do his exam to see about releasing the teen. 

“They can’t make me go back with them, can they?” Noct asks, concerned.

“No, you are eighteen and no longer under their guardianship.”

This brings the teen some relief. The doctor finishes with the exam and deems the teen capable of leaving the hospital, with a prescription for painkillers and an anti-inflammatory. As he had guessed, his parent’s put up a fight for him to return with them but he shuts down the argument when he ask his father if he plans on slapping his other cheek if he doesn’t listen to him. It was a petty thing to do but Noct really doesn’t care, he just wants to go back to his home and sleep. But not before having a stern talk with his roommates. The taxi drops him off to his house later that afternoon and he looks up to it with a sigh, then heads to his front door which immediately unlocks and creaks open for him. _Oh now their active!_ He storms through the door and shuts it behind him, making sure to lock the deadbolt before looking around.

“Where the hell were you three when those assholes broke in and attacked me!? Why didn’t you come out sooner!?” he shouts, but no response comes making his anger flare. “And Gladiolus, you could have killed that girl, what the hell were you thinking you big dumb jer-”

A glass vase goes soaring across the room and smashes into the adjacent wall, making Noctis jump in fright and crumble to the floor. He begins to cry softly, from pain and all his emotions finally bubbling out. A hand gently touches his head, petting him before pulling him into a strong embrace. Noct pulls his head away opens his eyes, finding that instead of seeing the normal nothingness an intricately ornate black jacket covers his view. He slowly peeks up and sees the dejected face of one of Gladiolus peering down at him, his mouth creasing into a thin line before softly speaking. 

_“I’m sorry, Noctis.”_

The teen blinks, mouth opening slightly before quickly closing tightly. The figure moves away, revealing the other two who have also manifested themselves for viewing and are wearing equally pained expressions. He flits back and forth between the three specters, absorbing every detail of them he can before a huge smile steadily appears on his face once his shock subsides. 

“I can see you all!”

_“Wow, and people said I had an attention problem.”_ the blonde one chuckles.

“I can hear you too!”

_“All right Noctis, calm yourself. You are injured and don’t need to stress yourself out.”_ the shorter brunette tuts, getting a scowl from the teen. 

“Well that’s your faults, some protectors you are.” This makes the ghosts reel back and frown, specifically the largest one who drops to one knee and bows submissively, followed shortly after by the other two. “What? What are you guys doing? Stop that.”

_“We are sorry Noctis, we had wished to conserve our energy for after the witching hour. That’s when the daemons are most active, especially during storms.”_

“Daemons?”

_“Yes, we are not the only things trapped here. During the battle in which we lost our lives, we fought many daemons and their blood tainted this area. They try to lure the house's inhabitants to them and drive them mad, turn them into monsters themselves. We, unfortunately, were unable to stop this from happening one time.”_

Noctis frowns. “The man who killed his family?” 

_“Correct. And now they seek you out, especially since who you are.”_

“What do you mean, who I am?” 

The three exchange looks before nodding to one another and turning back to the teen. They tell him the rest of their story, of who they are and essentially who he was. They were the companions of the True King, a man named Noctis, who from what they surmised the teen is a rebirthed version of. They were felled in the battle that kept the daemons at bay as Noctis sacrificed himself to bring back the light and end the Starscourge. They awoke when the ground was disturbed for the construction of the house but also found out the daemons they killed had also awoken. Since then, they spent their time defending the property from the daemons as much as they could so that the inhabitants wouldn’t be harmed. As for why they don’t appear full-bodied or speak to him regularly is due to the strain of defending the house. They do recall however that the first owner created devices that allowed him to see and hear them, but the items were hidden away in the attic behind a door that they cannot enter. As soon as the teen hears this though, he rushes to the attic and begins to scour for the door by moving boxes of junk he hasn’t even bothered to search through yet.

_“Noct, buddy. You might want to settle yourself and rest a bit, you just got out of the hospital.”_ Prompto tells him, looking concerned at the riled up teen. _“If you pass out, Iggy will be devastated. And big guy is already beating himself up about the other night.”_ he says and grimaces at the glare tossed at him. _“We are truly sorry for being unable to come to your rescue sooner. We awoken when we heard you cry out for us, Gladio went ballistic but Ignis calmed him down.”_

“He almost killed that girl though.”

_“But, she could have killed you and it's his duty to protect you, or old you.”_

“Doesn’t matter, I don’t want you guys to kill the living, that’s bad. Plus if he did kill her she might have ended up trapped here too.” the teen says and tosses a box aside, shrugging when it sounds like glass breaks. He finds the small door and cheers before going to pull it open. “Here we go, so how come you couldn’t enter here?”

_“The man put a hex on it to keep us out, said it was his quiet space from all the noises. He was very intuned with the spirit world, he was actually working out how to exercise the land, but he was very ill for a long time and passed. He was a good man.”_

“Sounds like my friend Luna, she’s into all of that.” Noct says and pulls the door open forcefully. 

_“Luna? As in Lunafreya?”_

“Yeah, she’s a friend of mine from High School. Why, was she from your time as well?”

Prompto smiles meekily. _“Yes.”_

“Wow, that’s so cool. She’ll be thrilled to know that, she is into all that past life business.” Noctis peeks inside the dark room and feels around for a wall switch but doesn’t find one. He crawls back out and goes fishing through the desk inside the attic and manages to find a small flashlight. “Aww yiss.” 

Prompto chuckles softly, getting a smile from the teen. _“I am surprised how upbeat you are, or that you’re even awake.”_

“Too many awesome things to explore and discover, and I want a way to interact with you three without you guys exerting yourselves.” the teen says and disappears in through the door only to pop back out quickly with a grin. “I’m also doped up.”

He re-enters and has to crawl through a narrow passage, trying not to breathe in too deeply because of all the dust and cobwebs. The teen eventually comes to a small room, one where he can sit up and move around easily. There is a small wooden table with an oil lamp, a shelf with some old books, and a wooden crate with a lock. 

“Well, I guess the treasure is in the locked chest, I wonder if there's a key.” 

Noct looks around the table, finding a hidden drawer but no key inside, but instead finds a journal that he tucks into his jacket pocket for later reading. He checks the bookshelf and still doesn't find the key, so he decides to drag the crate back through the small passage where maybe he or one of the ghosts can bust the lock off. He returns from his expedition inside the wall with the crate and flops down, out of breath. 

“Hey Prompto, you think you can smash this lock off?” he asks but finds that the blonde ghost is no longer there, but instead the shorter brunette stands idly by the window. “Oh, hey Ignis.”

_“Hello Noct. Prompto has gone off to rest, I will take over for a spell until he is rejuvenated.”_

“Well not to worry, I believe the objects that will allow me to see and hear you guys are in this crate. I just need to bust the lock.” he says and looks to Ignis face, looking at the horrific scarring and cloudy eye that looks off into the distance. “Hey, are you blind?”

_“Yes, I lost my vision when I was still alive.” Ignis says, brushing a finger up the bridge of his nose like one would push up glasses._

“How do you get around then?”

_“I can feel vibrations that help me to form an image in my mind of what is around me.”_

“So, like a bat?”

Ignis snickers. _“Yes, like a bat.” the brunette says and smiles softly. “You are truly different than how his Highness was, more carefree and peppy. It is nice.”_

“Uh, thanks?” the teen says as he sits atop the crate. “So do you think you could break into this crate for me?”

_“Unfortunately my strength is waning, if Gladio was around he’d be able to.”_

A panicked look forms on the teen’s face. “He didn’t run away, did he? Because I yelled at him?”

_“No, he is just sulking somewhere. He has become even more distant as of late, much worse than when we first awoke, Prompto and I are afraid the daemons will eventually corrupt him.”_

“Aren’t you all good friends though?”

_“In a way, yes, but after reawakening and not having the key piece that kept us all together, we began to drift.”_ Ignis tells him with a sullen tone, but then his lips perk into a soft smile. _“But then a family moved in with a couple darling twins and we took to watching over them, it felt like we had a purpose once more. Prompto and I became closer, but Gladio, he still only mildly interacted with us and when the children grew up and moved on he took to avoiding us again.”_

“He’s quite grumpy.”

_“He has a lot of pain and regret.” _the ghost says and begins to flit in and out of view.__

__“Hey, if your energy is getting low go rest, I’ll be fine.” Noctis says with concern._ _

___“I am all right, I can hold on for another half an hour.”_ _ _

__“No, you will go rest. That’s an order from your more awesome reincarnated king.”_ _

__Ignis chuckles but gives in and disappears. Noct sighs and looks down at the crate, wondering if he should toss it out the window to break it open. But he decides against it since there is a chance the items inside might break so he lugs the crate downstairs. He thinks that maybe going to the shed to find a hammer would work or better yet as Ignis suggested find the big ghost. He looked large and muscular, he could probably break the lock by flicking it. So Noct sets off, calling out to the elusive ghost and does eventually find him, standing sorrowfully under the willow tree by the empty koi pond._ _

__“Hey you, been looking for ya. I think I found the items but they’re in a locked crate and I need you to bust it open for me. Pretty please?” the teen says giving puppy eyes to the surly ghost and gets the most unexpected response when the ghost turns away flustered. “Holy balls! Are you blushing? Oh my god you are!”_ _

__The teen grabs the spirit’s arm and attempts to pry it away from covering his face but the large man growls and snatches the teen by the wrist, preparing to rip into him but stops and releases him when the teen yelps and winces. Noct rubs his sore limb, cringing as he tries to fight back tears. Large arms encompass his whole upper half as the ghost pulls him into a deep and apologetic hug._ _

___“I’m sorry, I keep failing and causing you pain. I am a terrible Shield.”_ _ _

__“Oh come on you old fuddy duddy, I haven’t been eaten by a ghost monster or whatever else is here. So I think you’re doing just fine.” Noct says but gets a stern look to him and points up at the larger man. “But no killing the living, unless it’s a bug. Then you have my permission and my love, Gladiolus.”_ _

___“Very well, and just Gladio is fine.”_ he snorts and smiles. _ _

__“Wow, you’re handsome when you smile.” Noctis chuckles, making the ghost become bashful again and call him a brat. “So, will you bust open that case for me? I’ll do something for you if you do.”_ _

__The large man makes a face as if in contemplation before eyeing the pond. _“Buy some fish.”__ _

__Noctis looks to the fish pond and cocks his head to the side. “Oh, okay. Yeah I can do that.” he says and turns back around, finding the ghost has disappeared. But his whereabouts isn’t a mystery for long when he hears a loud bang come from within the house. He gleefully rushes back in, finding the crates’ lid ripped off its hinges but the ghost has vanished. “Yea! You’re the best Gladio, wherever you went.”_ _

__The teen begins to trot over before stopping and turning back to deadbolt the back door, then makes his way to the now open crate. He looks inside finding discolored notes, books, trinkets and a couple cases. He takes those out and sets them down on the floor, opening the larger of the two and finding an odd pair of spectacles that has multiple lenses with each a different color. He places the glasses on and becomes miffed when he sees nothing, but as he adjusts the colors of the lenses, the outline of Gladio begins to appear before becoming completely into focus._ _

__“Oh my god! These are fucking awesome!” Noctis cheers, seeing the specter frown and speak to him in an admonishing manner but nothing is heard. “Ah, can’t hear you, that device is probably in the other box.”_ _

__Noct picks up that box next and opens it, finding what look like hearing aids. He fiddles around with them, finding a small switch on the sides of them that, when turned, on emit a low ocean wave kind of sound. He adjusts them as well, finding a comfortable setting before looking at the large ghost and smiling at him._ _

__“Go ahead and say something!”_ _

_“You are such a little brat.”_

__“Awesome!”_ _


	5. Chapter 5

Finding the two items have been a blessing, but also a curse since they started giving Noct an agonizing migraine and a buzzing noise in his ears after he took the earpieces out; one of which stopped working and now he has to find the most tiniest assed battery ever made to replace the dead one. But he turned in for the night after coming down from his excitement, not waking to the next day close to noon and very much starving. Thankfully Ignis was there to mother hen him and make him a large lunch. He tried the devices again, finding them still giving him a headache when he wears them for too long, so now he just tries them on again every half hour to try to adjust to them more. It’s close to dinner time now and Noct watches with amusement at the two men in the kitchen. Prompto is leaned up against Ignis’ back as he helps him by getting the correct spices and putting them away when done, with the two snickering about old times. Gladio ignores them, standing stiffly by the bay window and staring out at the forest with an inscrutable look on his face. Noctis side eyes the two giggling men in the kitchen again before trotting over to the grumpy ghost and flopping down on the window sill, looking up at him with wonderment and cheekiness.

“So uh hey.” he says and gets looked down at. “Are those two, you know.”

The teen makes a lewd gesture by sticking two fingers between an ‘O’ formed by his thumb and index, chuckling as the large man rubs his temples in irritation.

_“If they are, I don’t know nor do I care.” he grumps before frowning deeply. “What I do know, is Prompto watched as Ignis was ripped apart by daemons. He couldn’t do anything to help him and it bothered him so much he could barely leave the man’s side when we awoke.”_

“Oh.” Noctis says and looks at the two men in the kitchen, smiling and enjoying each other’s company. He then gets a playful grin and wraps his arms around the large man’s waist. “Aww, do you want someone to cuddle with you too, so you don’t feel left out?”

Gladio looks down unenthused before grunting and phasing through the teen’s arms, heading to the porch outside. Noct huffs and follows after him, finding the large man sitting on the porch swing staring out at the forest. He glances over at the boy and sighs while going to stand up but is immediately halted.

“Gladio.” the teen snaps. “Stay!”

The man sits back down on the swing and stares straight ahead, looking like a scolded child. Noctis shakes his head and flops down next to the man, pulls his legs up onto the swing and hugs them to his chest. The two remain in a stagnant silence until Gladio shifts around and starts to rock the swing by gently pushing against the wooden porch with his booted foot. 

“Why are you so standoffish to them? Weren't they your companions?” Noct asks, resting his head on his knees and turning towards the other. “I asked Ignis before and he said sort of, and that you lost something that kept you all together.”

 _“Yeah.”_ Gladio says, a deep frown forming on his haggard face. _“The only reason any of us really interacted before, was because of Noctis. I was his Shield, Ignis was his Advisor, and Prompto was a friend from his teen years. Ignis and I only spoke when it pertained to the Prince, and neither of us really hung out with Prompto unless he was with Noct. We never really bonded with one another until the trip and even then our relationship couldn't be described as truly close; we were all just there for Noctis. And after he was taken in by the crystal for those ten long years, we went our own separate ways only to regroup when Noct emerged from the crystal. Then after that, we all died.”_

“But what about after that, when you all awoke. How come you didn’t chill with them? I mean those two, well they became-” He looks back into the house at the two men glommed on to one another, giggling like a couple of school girls. “that. They’re worried that you will fall to the daemons. If they didn’t care about you, I doubt they would worry like that.”

_“Hmph. They probably just want me around since I can fend off the daemons by myself so they can fuck off and playhouse.”_

“Geez Mr. Grumpy Ass, you can try not being a dick you know.” 

Gladio slits his eyes in annoyance before they go wide and panicky and he turns his head towards the forest. _“Get in the house.”_

“What?”

 _“MOVE!”_ he snarls at the boy.

The teen jumps from the swing and dashes into the house as the door slams behind him and locks. The other two halt what they are doing and look over in fright.

 _“What’s going on?”_ Prompto asks as he heads over to the teen.

“I don’t know, he just yelled at me to get inside and then-” 

A loud crackling of thunder makes the teen jump in fright and latch onto the blonde. The freckled man wraps his arms around the boy protectively as he looks to the forest with concern. 

_“It’s going to be a dreadful storm tonight. One of the worst in a long while.”_ Ignis says, stepping from the kitchen and standing next to the other two. _“With all these storms as of late that darken the skies, the daemons are gaining strength. I’m afraid they may try to do you harm tonight, and Gladio sensed their increased aggression.”_

“Will he be all right?” Noctis asks in a slight panic. 

_“Yes. He has fought them off many times before.”_ the brunette tells him.

“By himself?” Noctis ask a slight tinge of anger in his tone. He looks out the bay window as the sky darkens and begins to downpour. “Go help him, please.”

 _“I’ll go.”_ Prompto says as he steps towards the window. _“Iggy you stay with Noct. If it gets really bad, go to crawl space in the attic. You’ll be safe there.”_

The blonde phases through the window and goes to join the other ghost outside as Noct watches them stand in the yard facing the forest. Ignis comes up behind him and gently touches his shoulder. 

_“Noct, why don’t you come eat some of what I made you for dinner.”_

“Okay.” Noct says and finally pulls away from the window. 

He goes to sit at his dining table as the ghost grabs him a bowl, slightly jumping at the loud crackle of thunder that causes his lights to flicker. The teen makes a scared whine but the brunette pats his head reassuringly which eases his tension and looks at the soup set in front of him. The teen frowns at the green things floating in the soup.

“Beans, eww.” 

Ignis chuckles at the young teen. _“It’s funny how some things still stayed the same.”_

The teen grimaces as he lifts a spoonful up, looking hatefully at the green bean before turning his attention back to the window. “How do you guys fight these daemon things? Do you like, poof weapons into reality like magic?”

_“Honestly, that’s what we used to do back when we were all alive. We would draw upon Noctis’ powers to bring forth our weapons that he had stored in his arsenal.”_

“Seriously!?”

_“Yes. There were many things that could be done by using the crystal's powers bu- do not throw that bean into the trash young man, I may not have my eyesight but I can feel your movements.”_

Noctis groans and tosses the bean back into the soup. “So without the crystal and that magic space place thingy to pull weapons from, how do you fight the daemons off?” 

_“The first owner, the one who crafted those items you wear, had configured weapons for us to do battle with. The man was truly a genius.”_

“Where do you keep your weapons then?”

Ignis reaches through himself and pulls a dagger out of his chest, like a freaky magic trick that makes the teen stare in shock and awe. 

“That’s so cool! What do the others have?”

_“Prompto has a pistol and Gladio a sword.”_

The teen goes to dash from his chair to look out the window but is snatched by his collar and set back down in the chair.

_“Eat your dinner.”_

Noctis sighs in exasperation. “Fine, mother.” He coops some of the soup into his mouth, finding despite the icky beans that it tastes great. “Mmm, reminds me of my Mom’s cooking.”

_“Do you miss them, your parents?”_

“Not my Dad, he’s an asshole who thinks I’m a failure. But I miss my Mom, she’s a real sweet lady. A bit overprotective at times, but that’s because I almost died a few times.”

_“My goodness, how was that?”_

The teen taps the spoon against his lips in thought before jumping slightly at the crackle of thunder, but the ghost gently rubs his shoulder easing him down. 

“It’s getting worse out there.” Noct says and mixing his soup with his spoon. “But anyway, the first was when I was born, I was four months too early and stopped breathing after I was delivered. I was put on a respirator for a couple months until my lungs fully developed. I still have some ‘problems’ though. The second was when I was about six, I was riding my tricycle down our streets sidewalk with my babysitter when this car jumped the lip and ran me over. It bent my tricycle and cut up my back, I lost a lot of blood and was almost paralyzed.” There were more, but Noct wasn’t comfortable disclosing them yet. 

_“That’s terrible, no wonder she held you so close and wanted to protect you. That’s what you do for the one you care about the most in life.”_ Ignis says and turns towards the large window. 

“Are you worried about him?” Noct asks, winking at him even though the ghost probably can’t see the gesture.

_“The daemons haven’t manifested they so they are safe.”_

Noctis groans and shakes his head, deciding to just eat his soup and not persist on. Another loud crackle of thunder startles the teen as the lights go out, making him groan in frustration and throw his spoon into the bowl. 

“Man, storms suck. Don’t you agree Ig-” Noctis looks to where the ghost originally stood but finds him gone. He quickly looks around and finds him by the bay window. “Ignis?”

 _“Grab a few snacks and drinks to keep yourself contented, collect some blankets and a pillow,”_ the ghost says, pulling his blades from his chest. _“then go to the crawl space and stay there until morning. Go, quickly.”_

The teen purses his lips but doesn’t protest and does as he’s told, grabbing a water bottle and a box of crackers before darting up the stairs. He dashes into his room and tosses the items onto his comforter and bundles them with a pillow for easy transport. But as he exits the room he notices the window down the hall by the attic stairwell is open. He carefully makes his way down the hall in the dark until he reaches the end and sets his stuff down to go close the window. A shock of lightning followed by a loud rumbling of thunder makes him jump and look out the window. To his absolute shock and horror, he sees the forest emitting a blood red aura as vile creatures crawl forth towards the house and are struck down as soon as they cross the fence. He can hear a faint clanging of metal and brief echoes of gunfire before the shrieks of the daemons reverberate through the air. Before he can look away though, a shimmer catches his eyes and draws his gaze towards a daemon much different than the others. Noctis hears a strange whispering in his ears as he locks eyes with the thing, it beckoning him with its long gnarled fingers. The teen, as if being puppeted by something unseen, begins to crawl out the window and onto the slippery rooftop. He slowly walks to the edge of the roof, standing stiffly as the cold rain pelts against him, before leaning forward and falling.


	6. Chapter 6

He feels like he’s sinking, can’t breathe. His body is cold and stings like thousands of tiny needles are stabbing into his flesh. He can’t see anything, hear anything. Just darkness and silence for what seems like an eternity. Then he hears blood-curdling shrieks that stab to his very core, two red orbs manifest in the darkness and a bony hand reaches out. It beckons him, wills him to step forward, and to join it. 

_“come child, come join us, become one of us”_

He feels himself being dragged towards it, but then he’s pulled away and feels a calmness over take him. 

_“Noct? Noctis, please wake up.”_

He groans softly as he slowly comes to, blinking and looking around, finding himself lying on his bed. The teen goes to sit up but winces and lays back down, an agonizing pain rips through his entire body. He softly weeps from the ache and coldness he feels, even as a hand gently pets his head he feels no warmth. His heavy eyes blink open and he can make out the outline of Prompto, knowing it’s him due to the shock of blonde hair. 

“Prom? What happened? I ache all over.”

The ghost grunts softly and guiltily. _“You were entranced by the one daemon we’ve been trying to kill for hundreds of years but always evades us. It has the ability to return the daemons we had already killed, and it is also the one that tries to lure the living to them or make them kill themselves or others. It somehow got to you without our knowledge and it made you jump off the balcony. You landed in the fish pond, we were horrified but greatly relieved after pulling you out that you weren't dead. I was thankfully able to quickly pull you back into the house without any more harm coming to you. You are bruised on your front from the impact though, but nothing seems broken.”_

Noctis winces slightly and rubs at his face, remembering he had the glasses and one of the earpieces on when he jumped. “Where are the items?”

 _“They fell off when you landed in the water, I was able to get the glasses. They’re not broken just really bent, but the earpiece I wasn’t able to find.”_

“Are you guys all alright?”

Prompto falls silent making Noct’s breath hitch. 

_“Mine and Ignis’ powers are severely drained, he’s resting now and I chose to wait until you awoke, we will have to be away for a few days to completely regain our strength. Thankfully there are no storms for a while but you shouldn’t venture out at night, or by windows.”_

“You didn’t mention Gladio.”

More silence and Noctis whimpers. 

_“After you fell into the pond, he went ballistic and chased the Necromancer into the woods while taking down everything that got in his way. We haven’t seen him since.”_

“No.”

 _“I’m sure he’s alright, he’s probably resting too somewhere.”_ Prompto says solemnly and begins to wince. _“I’m sorry, this is as long as I could hold out. Try not to get into too much trouble while we’re resting.”_

The teen forces a cheeky smile. “No promises there.” 

Prompto chuckles and ruffles Noctis’ hair before tucking him in, then vanishing from view. The teen sighs exhaustively and slips back to sleep, awakening later that afternoon. He carefully gets out of bed and heads into his bathroom, grimacing when he sees the state he is in. He tosses a relaxing bath bomb into his tub and soaks himself, easing some of the pain in his body before redressing, popping his pain prescriptions, and getting things ready to look for his missing ghost. The glasses were bent but not terribly and were easily fixed with a few adjustments, but without the hearing device, he’ll have to just look for him carefully. He first sweeps the interior of the house, only finding Prompto and Ignis cuddled up together in one of the spare bedrooms. So he ventures outside, checking the inside of his car first and the rest of the front before heading to the backyard. The grumpy ghost isn’t by the willow tree nor sitting on the porch, Noct even checks inside the shed but still doesn’t find him. The teen then looks to the forest, a slight uneasiness building inside, but he throws caution to the wind and jumps the fence to scour the forest. As he makes his way in, he leaves marks on the trees to be able to find his way back out; and his father never believed he retained anything from when he was in the scouts. He carefully scans through the trees, keeping a watchful eye for any signs of the large man, or possible danger that he would need to make a quick retreat from. Noctis eventually ends up in a clearing, where no trees have grown but instead the lushest of green grass and vibrant blue flowers. He feels as if he stepped through a portal due to the contrast between this area and the surrounding forest, it feels serene here and safe. After getting over his wonderment, he finally finds what he’s looking for. Noctis rushes over to the prone form of the large ghost and drops down beside him, looking at the man with saddened joy. The teen reaches a steady hand out and gently caresses the ghost’s face, feeling the cold mannequin like sensation that the three have whenever he touches them. Noct traces a finger down the scar on the man’s face, a slight throbbing in his heart makes him purse his lips as he looks to the old wound. But in a startling flash, he is slammed backward with his wrists pinned down by a very feral looking ghost.

“Gladio?” Noct whimpers out in fright and pain. 

The large ghost sees what he has done and quickly scrambles back, bowing submissively to the teen. Noctis winces and sits up, rubbing at his wrist before sighing at the sad sack before him.

“Hey, come on don’t do that. I hate when you do that.” Noctis scolds him, but the man just clenches his fist and remains bowed making the teen scoff before rolling his eyes. “Now you’re just acting like a baby.” 

This gets the ghost to move as he looks up to scowl at the teen, bitching something at him but Noct can’t hear and points at his ear.

“Don’t have the earpiece, it’s still at the bottom of the fish pond.”

Gladio frowns deeply and shakes his head, standing up from the ground then offering his hand to the teen. He accepts the offer and stands, looking up at the larger man and smiling at him.

“I was really worried about you when Prompto said you took off and hadn’t returned.” he tells the ghost and turns slightly red. “I really like having you guys around, I don’t feel so lonely.” 

Strong arms embrace the teen and pull him into a hug. Even though he doesn’t give off body heat, Noctis finds the man’s hug to be comforting and melts into it. The boy and his ghost then head back home, with Noct prattling on about random things even though he can’t hear the other’s response. The teen hops over the fence and snickers as Gladio just fazes through it, but then stares curiously as the man walks over to the pond and reaches down in search. Noct walks over to him and watches as he sifts through the sediment, but doesn’t notice the devious look on the ghosts face as he splashes back with water making the black-haired boy gasp and jump back. He crinkles his nose at the ghost who just laughs silently at him before continuing to search. Noctis wonders if he should attempt to shove the big jerk into the pond, but decides not to since he’ll more than likely allow Noct to fall through him. After a couple more sift throughs Gladio finds the earpiece and hands it over to the elated teen.

“Awesomeness! Man, you’re greatest Gladio.” he chirps and hugs the larger man around the torso. But then his hyperactivity kicks into overdrive and leaps up to snatch the man around the neck and pull him down, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Okay! I’ll be right back, gonna see if this works and if not switch the battery into the not wet one.”

The teen rushes off, leaving the ghost standing in bewilderment at what just transpired. The soaked earpiece does not work as Noct expected and switches out the batteries into the other which thankfully does. So he trots back outside and finds Gladio rocking on the swing, an unreadable look on his face. He takes a seat next to him and smiles, but the ghost just stares straight ahead and ignores him. 

“So I was thinking that once the other two are awake we could have some fun and play board games together while you guys tell me more about your time.” he says and still gets ignored.

Noctis frowns at him and pulls his legs up onto the bench while turning to face the large spirit, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his head on his knees. The brunette still ignores him. They sit like this for a bit until Noctis becomes antsy and tentatively reaches his foot out and nudges the large man, but he still can’t get a rise from him. The teen huffs and gets off the swing, walking off the porch and heading over to the tire hanging from the large willow. He climbs onto it and slowly rocks himself back and forth to get a nice momentum going, enjoying the nice breeze that brushes by him as he swings. Noct continues swinging, taking quick glances back to see if the ghost still remains on the porch, he does, with the same unreadable face as before. The teen decides to be petulant and stops the swing, climbing on top of the tire and begins to scale the rope. He takes a peek back to see if the grumpy ghost is coming over, but he isn’t. Noctis groans and continues his ascent, until he reaches the thick branch and hauls himself up onto it, carefully crawling to where he can rest his back against the bark. The view from the top of the tree is breathtaking, allowing him to look out across the forest and to the mountains that lay beyond. He breathes in deeply, smelling the fresh clean air that he didn’t get to experience where he lived before. Despite all the shit that has happened to him so far, he’s glad he moved here. 

_“Seriously kid, it’s like you have a damn death wish or something.”_

Noct gasps and looks over to find Gladio on the branch across from him, glowering at him. 

“Well isn’t it your guy's responsibility to make sure I don’t get killed?”

 _“Yeah, by the daemons and those who wish to harm you, not your own damn stupidity.”_ Gladio snips and shakes his head, oblivious to the teen who begins to tremble. _“For fuck sakes, have some self-preservation and act like an adult. At least the original had the sense to-”_ He stops when he hears a soft sniffle and begins to feel regret.

Noct fights back the tears, almost loosing out but then gasps as he is slightly raised up from the branch with large legs appearing under him and arms encircling his waist. Gladio sighs and rests his chin on the teen’s head, pulling him into a tight embrace.

 _“Sorry, I keep reverting back to my old habits. It’s hard to break from.”_ he admits. “It was my responsibility to assure Noctis was strong and followed the path to becoming a great King. That meant I had to smack him around and call him out on bullshit when he was slacking or being stupid. I never realized until it was too late what an asshole I was about it.”

“I’m not him though, I’m my own person.” the teen say pulled into a tighter embrace.

 _“I know, I’m sorry.”_

The two sit in silence for a while, with the teen snuggled back against the large man and him holding Noct close. He looks out over the forest, noticing birds circling over a large gap in the trees where he assumes that weird area where he found Gladio is. This makes something dawn on him.

“Gladio, how are you still up and about? Prompto and Ignis are out cold.”

_“I think it has something to do with that plot I was sleeping in. After I lost sight of the Necromancer, I felt as if I was being pulled somewhere. I then stumbled upon that area and felt a familiar calm radiating from there and I was lulled into a deep sleep. I believe that may have been where the throne room once stood, and that maybe some of Noctis’ residual magic lingers there and it replenished my energy.”_

“Wow, we should tell the others about it. They may like to go experience it too.”

_“I doubt it, they don’t like to leave the comfort of the house and yard.”_

“Still, you should tell them, they may wish to join you. Maybe you three can hold a memorial.”

The ghost snorts. _“Yeah, the dead celebrating the dead.”_

“Ass.” Noctis grumbles but then lets out a deep yawn.

Gladio smiles and shifts the teen into a bridal carry and holds him tightly as he begins to drift back down to the ground. He tries not to laugh as the teen freaks at first before howling with joy at them levitating.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was not an easy one to write. But I will put a warning up for those who are sensitive to things pertaining to suicide attempts, depression, mentions of abuse, and cutting. I myself dealt with some of these issues from my early teens well into my adulthood and it was hard to handle. I thank you all for reading.

Things have settled considerably, almost to the point of it being boring after the events that caused him to use two more of his nine lives leaving him with only three left. He doesn’t have classes due to not being cleared yet to go and there is absolutely nothing on television that interests him. Prompto and Ignis are still resting but Gladio is up keeping him company, somewhat.

The large ghost looks hatefully down at the board game placed on the floor between him and the teen, having lost five times already and swears the kid is cheating. He places a finger on a red disk, glancing at the grinning teen before moving to another disk and moving that one a few spaces. But he begins to glower as the teen giggles and takes a black piece, moving it around and taking Gladio’s. 

“Just a few more and I win again.” Noct titters.

The game gets tossed away with the man grumbling and folding his arms. The teen chuckles at the grumpy ghost and pounces him, tumbling around and laughing as he gets pinned. Ever since the little heart to heart up in the willow tree, the large ghost’s demeanor has softened considerably. Sure there were the hugs and the tickle attack from their first meeting, but now he rough houses with the teen and plays games with him, and tells him all kind of neat stories from when he was still alive. It makes Noct feel like he has a sibling, it’s nice. 

“Okay, so because I won five times, I get to ask you five questions and you have to answer them.” 

_“Fine.”_ Gladio grumps out and sits against the fire place. 

“Okay!” Noct says chipperly and lounges on the floor facing the man. “What’s your fondest memory?”

_“When my sister was born.”_

“That’s adorable. So next question, were you seeing anyone when you were alive?”

_“Yeah, had a girlfriend.”_

The teen crinkles his nose and sighs. “Oh, I see. So do you have any weird piercings or tattoos?” 

_“I have a tattoo, it’s a tradition for the male Shields to get one.”_

Noctis face lights up. “Can I see it!?” 

_“No.”_

“Why not?”

_“That’s five questions.”_

“What!? Oh hell no, that’s cheating.”

 _“You cheated playing that game.”_

“Nuh uh!” the teen grumps, making the large ghost sigh and gesture to continue with his interrogation. “What is your biggest regret?”

_“Too many to list, last question.”_

“How did you get your scars?”

Gladio closes his eyes and leans his head back in thought. He then touches the scar over his eye and frowns. _“Got this when I protected my Noctis from a bully.”_ he says and then points to his forehead. _“This was from proving my worth as his Shield.”_

“Must have hurt like hell.”

 _“Hmm, not really, was so pumped up from adrenaline never really noticed.”_ he says and then turns questioning amber eyes to the teen. _“So I told you about my scars, tell me about yours and not just the ones on your back. All of them, even the ones inside.”_

Noctis’ face blanches and he retracts a bit. “That’s umm, I uhh.” he says and winces a bit. “You wouldn’t understand.”

_“Try me.”_

The teen lays back down on the floor, a dejected look on his face. But with a soft sigh he relents. “I’ve had developmental issues since I was born. I didn’t talk until I was four, my motor skills were subpar, and I was very slow at learning. Kids made fun of me all the time and beat me up. Then I was in an accident that just about paralyzed me and it took a couple years of physical therapy to even take a few steps. Then, when I was nine I overheard my parents fighting, my dad called me useless and said I’d be better off in an institution with others like myself.” the teen says and frowns deeply, tears forming in his eyes. “That was the first time that I tried to-”

The teen feels himself be lifted and pulled into a strong embrace, nuzzling into the cold but comforting mass as his back is softly massaged.

_“Hard to believe King Regis turned into such a hateful man. He’d be horrified to even fathom treating his son like that.”_

“He’s always been like that. From what my mother told me his father was very abusive to him. Everything had to be perfect or it meant he failed. Perfect job, perfect wife, perfect house, perfect son. Then I came along and fucked all that up. They couldn’t even have any more kids after me either, due to fertility issues.”

 _“It sucks when so much is expected of you, you feel like every little thing you do is being scrutinized and if you mess up then you feel like you don’t deserve to continue on.”_

“Yeah.” Noct says and sighs contently as the message becomes a bit rougher, but feels excellent on his back.

 _“So what happened after your first attempt?”_

“Nothing, I took over the counter painkillers that didn’t do anything to me. After I started to get somewhat better I returned to school where I overheard some girls talking about cutting and the feeling they get. I started doing it, it felt really good. I began doing it more and more, always making sure it was in a spot no one would see. I started to become withdrawn even more than normal, wouldn’t even go outside. My parents thought signing me up as a Scout would get me out of my shell but it only made things worse. The kids were cruel to me and would never want to buddy up with me, said I was weird and would slow them down because I was a cripple. The cutting got worse from there, I stopped hiding it since I believed no one cared enough about me for anything else so why would they care if I was harming myself.” Noctis says and sniffles. “I was right. When some of them seen what I was doing they encouraged me, told me to cut deeper and if I didn’t I was a pussy. My parents found out eventually when my mom was gathering up clothes and discovered some of mine that I hid away, they were soaked in blood. My dad flipped, said I had no reason to do what I was doing and called me a spoiled brat that was ruining his life. I got up in his face, spit in it, and he busted my nose.”

 _“Shit.”_

“Yeah, him and my mother got into it afterward, she told him she wanted a divorce and he took off. I felt terrible and believed if I wasn’t around everything would get better, so I ran to my room and locked the door, ignoring my mother’s screams and pleading; I took out my pocket knife and slit my wrists down to the bone. My mom ran to get the neighbor for help, he busted down the door and found me lying unconscious in a puddle of my own blood. The guy was an old army medic, so he bandaged up my wrists and kept me stable until the ambulance was able to arrive and take me to the hospital. I was institutionalized and put on a cocktail of medicines along with therapy, they helped somewhat. After I was released, my parents pretended that nothing had happened and put me into a private school away from all the kids who bullied me. That’s where I met Luna and things got a bit better. She was quirky like me and listened to all my problems, introduced me to her boyfriend and his buddies. They accepted and got me into all the occult stuff. Luna read my fortune, said I was born under a lucky star and had a great destiny to fulfill. I laughed at her. But she assured me it was true and said I would find a lone blue flower, indicating the start of my journey.”

Gladio looks to the flower in the vase perched on the bay windowsill. _“And here you are.”_

“Maybe I’m going to be the one to continue the original owners quest to cleanse this area.” Noct says and begins to yawn. “Get rid of those nasties and free you three.” 

_“That would be nice.”_ Gladio says softly as he continues massaging the teen’s back until he can hear soft snoring. _“How long do you plan on hiding over there?”_

Ignis steps from the stairwell and turns to the larger man. _”So, you came back.”_

 _“Kid dragged me home.”_ he says and looks down at the sleeping boy, still continuing to rub his back. _“I stumbled across something of interest in the woods, I believe it may be where the throne room was. My energy was fully charged after being there.”_

_“It is way too dangerous to chance again, not to mention running off like you did.”_

_“Yeah, I know.”_

_“Gladio please, we worry tremendously about you.”_

The brunette snorts snidely at the other's words, preparing to retort back but gets a palm to the face.

“Don’ be a jerk, Gladio. M’ tryin to sleep.” the teen returns to his soft snoring as he nestles himself further into the large man’s lap.

Gladio glowers, shooting a pissy look at the other ghost who snickers as he heads into the kitchen to start preparing a hearty meal for the teen once he reawakens. 

_“Once he isn’t asleep, we shall have a discussion about your erratic behavior. Now that we know the lengths the Necromancer will take to get to him, you can’t afford to act on your own.”_

_“Fuc-”_ A hand cuts him off.

“Shh, Gladdy, sleepy.” Noct mumbles and removes his hand from the ghost’s face and nods off once more.


	8. Chapter 8

All three of the ghosts are awake now, but things are testy between them as Ignis has decided to browbeat the grumpy ghost into playing nice with them instead of being a loner. It’s going over as well as a person trying to bathe a cat. 

Noctis lays on the floor facing the kitchen, pillow nestled under him, a plate of food to his side, and the journal he found in the wall room before him to read. He peers up every so often to watch them bicker with one another, the earpiece had been confiscated so as to not bother him with their arguing but he put up a fight when they tried to take the glasses. 

He’s getting a sorta deja vu vibe from how he and his parents would spat, with Gladio on the offensive and being the most animated in his arguing, mimicking how Noct himself gets. Ignis stands ramrod straight, arms folded in front of his chest as he constantly berates the other without relent, like his father does. Prompto stands closer to Ignis, since apparently Gladio likes to get shovey when angry, but turns back and forth between the two while looking frazzled and trying to mediate the situation, like his mother would. 

The teen sighs and returns to the journal, flipping the page and reading. The original owner, as Noctis discovered, was a kook but he was also meticulous and logged some intriguing information about the three. 

Ignis’ bat sonar can be blocked by having three or more electronic devices on at once making the ghost become disoriented and panicky to the point he’ll eventually shut down and just sit still on the floor until the devices are turned off or Prompto would come to his rescue. Prompto, he writes, is quite nosey and one of the main reasons he put hexes around to keep the spirits out since things would get misplaced or broken. He also discovered the ghost’s irrational fear of bugs that proved useful when the owner needed to keep the blonde from somewhere and couldn’t put up a hex; he’d just place his tarantula's cage in the area. Gladio, as Noct had guessed, was the most troublesome of the bunch to interact with and figure out even becoming downright hostile. But he eventually did discover his nuances and likes, coaxing the ghost out of his shell. The man’s flower garden would always be taken care of if he couldn’t tend to it and he’d often find the ghost by the willow watching the koi fish swim while sometimes feeding them and keeping the pond kempt. This was the only time the man ever seemed at peace and the owner found him to be civil and good company. Noctis does remember Gladio asking for him to get fish in exchange for breaking the chest open, he’ll have to pick some up tomorrow after he gets done with his check-up. 

A loud crash makes the teen grown and close the journal, hoping to his feet and looking at the three in the kitchen.

“Really you two, am I going to have to make you wear a get along shirt?” 

Gladio scowls and sinks down through the floor as Ignis throws his arms up in annoyance and vanishes through a wall leaving Prompto alone. The blonde looks at the teen with big blue eyes and a pout that makes Noctis groan. The two remaining males decide to let the others cool off alone and started to look through photos that Prompto had sneakily taken of the old occupants. Noct called him a creeper.

“What was this?” Noct asks, pushing a photo toward the blonde.

 _“Ah, that. One of the twins got married in the backyard, I took a picture of him and his new bride from the willow tree. I wish I could have given it to him, but he forgot about us when he became a teen.”_

Noct smiles at the picture and sets it down, then sifts through another pile. One catches his eye and he stares, feeling a weird stinging in his chest. A man with cropped auburn hair and wearing a tacky suit with a fedora leans against the large willow, obviously posing for the picture. 

“Who’s this?”

Prompto forms a forlorn smile as he looks at the photo. _“The Professor, he was the original owner.”_

“I feel like I know him.”

 _“You would, because he was also from our time. But it wasn’t under good pretenses.”_

“What do you mean?”

_“He was the reason for everything that happened during our time.”_

“What did you guys do when you first met him here? I’m sure it wasn’t friendly.”

_“No. I will admit, we had tried to harm him. But then we realized he wasn’t the same man as before, he was kind. He even apologized for his old life, wanted to make amends and help us move on, cleanse the land.”_

“I see.” Noct says and purses his lips. “You know, I did wonder why you three were still stuck here and didn’t reincarnate like everyone else.”

 _“He said it was more than likely due to a deep-rooted regret or pain we haven’t overcome yet.”_

“Hmm, I asked Gladio if he had any regrets and he said way too many. I guess he’s gonna be stuck here for eternity by himself, his stubborn ass won’t budge on it and fix anything.”

 _“I don't know, he has been slightly more personable since you moved in, well at least with you. Maybe seeing you is helping him overcome some of his issues.”_ Prompto says and smiles fondly. _“It has helped both Ignis and I a great deal.”_

Noctis looks at the blonde, a devious smile curling onto his face. “So, Prompto, my buddy. Level with me here, are you and Ignis-” he says wiggling his brows at the confused ghost who shrugs his shoulders. Noct groans. “Are you two doing it?”

 _“Wha!?”_ Prompto bristles and turns red while shaking his head. _“No, no no. Nothing like that, I’m mean he’s nice and a fantastic cook from what I remember when we could still eat and uh-”_

Noctis full-on laughs at the flustered ghost, rolling on the floor as his face turns red and tears stream down his face. But he’s stopped in his tracks when the ghost decides that two can play this game and says something that makes the teen’s brain shut down.

 _“You have no room to talk, it’s so obvious you have a crush on Gladio.”_

“I, I do not!” Noctis snips out, face bright red. “I’m just worried about him, okay?”

 _“Whatever you say Noct.”_ Prompto teases and pokes the teen’s cheeks.

“Well even if I did, which I don’t, it wouldn’t be possible.”

_“Yeah, cause he’s a ghost and you’re not.”_

“No, it’s because he had a girlfriend.” the teen says and sighs. “He also still tends to think of me as the old Noctis, and not me as myself.” 

_“It has been kinda hard to not think of you as the old Noct, it’s just so ingrained in us.”_

“I know.” the teen sighs. “But I want to be treated like my own person.”

The blonde ghost gives the teen a sad face and ruffles his hair. _“In time kiddo.”_ Prompto says and then smiles. _“But while you still can, you can use it to summon us. Especially now that timeout is over.”_

Noctis chuckles, knowing exactly what he means. “Gee, I sure am getting really hungry right now. So hungry I can’t focus and might burn something.” The sound of cabinets opening and closing along with a pan moving signifies Ignis has returned. “Heh, it worked. Now, how to get Gladio to reappear.” he ponders and then begins his next tactic. “Oh no! Help me! I’m being harmed." Nothing.

 _“Try harder.”_ Prompto snorts while sneaking over to the teen’s unattended phone. 

He thinks of what else may work then gets an idea and dashes out back. The teen hops onto the tire swing and prepares to make his ascent when he is snatched down.

 _“Nope, absolutely not cat-boy. No more high places for you.”_ Gladio snaps and tosses the cackling young boy over his shoulder, heading back towards the house. 

“Aww, I knew you’d come stop me.” 

Gladio just grumbles and carries Noct inside, glaring at the blonde who snaps their picture and then turning to exchange a scowl with his blind companion. 

“Hey you guys, play nice. We’re all friends here.” Noctis reprimands. He latches onto the large ghost as he attempts to toss the teen onto the couch and gets a groan from him. “I’m not letting go of you since you’ll just run off again.”

The brunette grunts under his breath and flops down on the couch with the teen still latched on like a leech. Noct adjusts himself to where his legs are to the side but he still has his arms wrapped around Gladio’s torso and rests his head on his shoulder. The man frowns deeply but begins to rub the boy’s back, drawing a soft sigh from him.

_“Don’t fall asleep Noct, I’m almost done with your meal.”_

_“Too late.”_ Prompto snorts and takes a shot of the sleeping teen.

 _“Just put it in the fridge and he can warm it later.”_ Gladio says and looks down at the sleeping teen, removing the glasses and earpiece before continuing to rub his back. _“We should just let him rest for now.”_

Ignis appears in front of Gladio, folding his arms and looking at him with annoyance. _“Very well, then we shall continue our discussion from earlier.”_

_“Nothing left to discuss.”_ he grumps.

_“There is quite a lot to discuss. Just please tell us what is causing you so much grief.”_

_“It’s noth-”_

_“It’s not nothing!”_ Prompto chimes in, a deep frown on his face. _“Quit bottling things up and just tell us. Even the kid’s really worried about you.”_

Gladio looks down at the tiny teen snuggled up on his lap as he rubs the boy’s back before gently laying him on the couch beside him. He then sighs and rests his head against the back of the couch. _“Talking with you two won’t solve my problems, I just need to overcome some issues on my own.”_

 _“You’ve been on your own for hundreds of years, just talk to us.”_ Ignis pleads. _“We can help you overcome some of your grief. Like Prompto and I had.”_

 _“What, join in and turn your little playdates it into a menage a trois? No thanks, I’m fine being blue.”_

_“Why must you be so damn stubborn and vulgar!? Why can’t you open up to us!? We all had the same fate as one another, we all lost things, all of us experienced the same grief when we watched Noctis go off to meet his end, we all fought with our might until the end and did our duties for Noc-”_

_“At least you two had the luxury of dying before him and not giving up on yourselves!”_ Gladio snaps and stands suddenly from the couch, his two companions reeling back in shock.

 _“Wha, what?”_ Prompto says flabbergasted. _“What do you mean? Gladio?”_

The larger spirit grits his teeth and grunts, a deep forlorn etching onto his face as he begins to retract back into himself.

_“Gladio, please don’t shut us out.” Ignis says softly._

Gladio sighs deeply, giving in. _“After you both were killed, I gave it my all to continue on. But my sword broke after taking down a Red Giant. I went to begin calling another from the Armiger but it then suddenly fizzled out. I couldn’t summon any more weapons or call on Noct’s magic any longer.”_ he says and his breath hitches. _“A Shield is to die protecting his King. Not after his King; and not by dropping to his knees and allowing himself to be grabbed by a daemon, then splattered against the Citadel steps.” ___

__The other two stand stiffly, unsure of how to proceed with him. But then thin arms wrap around Gladio’s torso as the teen groans and yawns sleepily._ _

__“Gladio, come back.” he whines and pulls on him. “Don’t leave me alone.”_ _

__The brunette crumbles to the ground, turning to the teen and holding him tightly. He begins to tremble softly, petting the boy’s black hair and resting his head against his shoulder._ _

___“I’m sorry Noct, godsdammit I’m sorry.”_ _ _

__Prompto and Ignis decide it would be best to step away and give the man his space, leaving him hugging the teen as he begins to weep. Noctis blinks hazily and grumbles before nuzzling against the ghost, patting his back and trying to pull him back towards the couch._ _

__“Come on, Gladio.” he mumbles out._ _

__Gladio relents and returns to the couch, pulling the teen onto his chest and resumes stroking his back gently, feeling a tiny crack forming in his wall._ _


	9. Chapter 9

Noctis, to his chagrin, had gotten clearance from the doctor to return back to his classes starting the following day. He knows he won’t have to see those assholes who assaulted him anymore, since their all cozy in a cell right now; plus they’ve been kicked out of school and a restraining order placed on them. It’s more to do with leaving the ghost, specifically Gladio, alone and him being alone. But he knows he needs to work on getting his degree so he can get a nice job for himself; can’t live off his settlement or inheritance from his grandparents forever. Right now though he’s making good on a promise as he stands over a large tank filled with smelly fish, his nose crinkled as he looks at the dopey faced goldfishes. 

“Hello, can I help you with anything?” the clerk asks while walking over.

“Yeah, I have a fish pond in my backyard, was looking to pick up a few to fill it.”

“Any type in particular?” 

Noct thinks back to the man’s journal and what he wrote. “Umm, Koi fish?”

“Ah, right this way.”

Noctis follows the clerk towards the back, finding separate tanks with an assortment of Koi. Three stick out to him immediately, finding them huddled together in a corner away from the other fish. One is black and red, another is black and orange, and the third is black and yellow. The one with the yellow markings breaks from the group and flits about, splashing water until the orange koi nudges it back into formation. 

“I like those.” he says pointing at the three. 

The clerk goes to retrieve bags for the fish while also procuring feed and other care items. The man starts to collect the fish, finding the black and red one to be feisty, but once he’s removed the three they notice a fourth one swimming about in a panic. It’s smaller than the others but shares a black theme with it’s marking while also having patches of silvery scales and a red dot on its head. 

Noct watches the lone fish sadly, forming an immediate connection to it. “Aww, poor little guy, I took his buddies.” he says and looks at the clerk. “I’ll take him too.”

The man nods and retrieves another bag for the last one. Once everything's paid for and they are safely nestled into the back seat of his car the teen heads home with his four little friends, filled with excitement to show them off to Gladio. He pulls into his driveway and carefully unloads the box with the fishes and heads out back to begin preparing them for acclimation. He places the four bags inside the pond to allow the water the fish are in to become similar temperature like the man said and then trots into the house to retrieve the glasses and earpiece. Once he has them on, he calls for the three to come out back to see what he has and then gleefully rushes out back. But when he gets outside he finds that Gladio is already by the willow, smiling down at the bagged fish.

“Ah man, you were there when I brought them over, weren’t you?”

_“Yup.”_

“Gah, you ruined my surprise.” he whines and flops onto the grass.

Prompto and Ignis step from the house, looking to the teen curiously before joining him in the yard.

 _“So what’d you get?”_ Prompto asks but then sees the bags and grins. _“Oh awesome, you got fish.”_ he says and dashes back into the house to retrieve a camera.

_“Do you know how to take care of them?”_

“Sort of. The pet store guy explained some things, but to I know someone who can help.” he says and looks to Gladio as the man safely nudges a bagged fish away from the newly turned on waterfall. 

_“Oh, so you got them as a gift for Gladio?”_ Ignis asks, a slight teasing tone in his voice.

Noct turns red. “Well I promised I would if he broke open the chest for me, so it’s only fair.” 

Ignis chuckles and ruffles the teen's hair as Prompto skitters out to start taking photos. Once the ten minutes are up the fish are removed from the bags and placed in their new home, swimming around curiously before huddling back into their protective little group. 

“I named them.”

 _“Seriously?”_ Gladio snorts at the teen.

“Yeah.” Noct says and points at the largest fish with the black and red markings. “He’s the biggest and fighty so that's Gladdy-Utsuri.” Points at the black and orange one. “Iggy-Utsuri since he keeps the others in formation if they stray too far.” Then to the black and yellow koi. “That is Prom-Utsuri since it was being playful at the store.” He then smiles at the littlest fish that is nestled behind the largest koi. “And that’s Noct-Utsuri.”

The three ghosts smile fondly at the pond, making Noctis feel a surge of joy that he made all of them happy. The foursome hangs around outside for the rest of the day, with Ignis preparing a nice little cookout meal for the teen as he is swung on the tire swing by Gladio. Prompto gleefully snaps shots of the teen and then smiles brightly as he heads up onto the porch to look the photos over while chatting with Ignis. Noct stops the swing and hopes off, trying to get Gladio to chase after him. What the teen doesn’t realize, though, with the man being a ghost he can teleport himself a small distance and snatch him up easily, making the teen burst out laughing as he’s stealthily scooped up and spun around. He eventually settles down to eat his meal, listening to the stories the ghosts share with him. Even Gladio joins in, looking quite calm and content now. Nighttime starts to fall and the teen is shooed into the house, but not before he feeds the fishy foursome and tells them goodnight. He pops his before bed medications and climbs under the covers, grabbing up his laptop that he thankfully had hidden away when the pricks broke into his house and begins surfing the web for a bit. 

_“Better not be searching up porn, nasty kid.”_ Gladio teases from the doorway. 

“Like I’d be able to do anything anyway with you three cockblockers poking about.” Noct says and then makes a face of wonder. “Can you guys even do it as ghosts? I mean you can pick things up, move things around, touch the living, and stuff.”

Gladio shrugs. _“Never crossed my mind and I don’t think we can get hard since we’re dead and all.”_

“Guess that would make sense.”

 _“Disappointed?”_ the large spector teases. 

“Oh definitely, losing my virginity to a grumpy old ghost is my lifelong dream.” the teen chuckles despite the dusting of pink on his cheeks. “I’m actually checking the postings about my friends business, she should have it up and running now.”

_“Lunafreya?”_

“Yeah. Ah, here we go. Hmm, seems to be getting good reviews. She’s off on the weekends, maybe I should give her a call and let her know about all my shenanigans.” he says and looks up at Gladio. “I was telling Prompto about it the other day, but I was thinking about seeing if she’d be able to help look us out cleansing the land. Maybe she can assist you guys with moving on too.” Noct begins to frown at this and shuts off his laptop before yawning deeply. He sets his laptop aside before looking to Gladio and smiling. “So you like the fish?”

_“Yeah, they’re quite peaceful to watch. Although the four you got seem to be little characters so they’ll be more amusing than anything.”_

“I’m glad, I want you to be happy.”

 _“I am h-”_ he begins but stops when the teen gives him an incredulous look. _“I’m trying.”_

“Well we just have to keep bonding with one another and hanging out.” Noct says and then pats the bed. “I’m getting really sleepy, come snuggle with me.”

The spirit snorts but gives in and shuts off the light as the teen places his items on his nightstand then wiggles down into his blankets. The bed dips behind him and he feels himself being held comfortingly, turning to face the invisible mass and nestling himself up against it.

“Goodnight Gladio.” he whispers softly and leans up to where he assumes the man’s chin is and presses a kiss before snuggling in deeper. 

What the teen doesn’t see though is the wide-eyed and flustered ghost next to him, face red and fingers against his lips.


	10. Chapter 10

Getting back into the original routine for school had been a bit of a challenge since he was quite used to sleeping in past eleven due to his time off, but with the help of his ghost bros, he’s making due. He sets his clothing out the night prior so he doesn’t have to fuss finding something the next morning, Ignis prepares his breakfast while Prompto packs his lunch. Gladio makes sure his backpack is waiting by the door and all of his work is inside, then gives the teen a hug before tossing him out.

He found himself something of a mini-celebrity upon returning to school, with his elderly female instructors cooing over him while his old grizzled history professor demonstrates a chokehold on a fellow classmate who had stupidly volunteered. The classes went by rather quickly, but he did find himself becoming anxious at times, almost feeling as if a panic attack was coming on. He wasn’t sure though if it was due to everyone crowding him or being away from the ghosts like he’s starting to develop some unhealthy separation issues; can’t really bring a ghost to school like a service dog, or could he? It had crossed his mind a few times, especially since Gladio went halfway through the forest to that clearing, that they could leave the area and move around town. Or was it due to that plot of land being where what they called the Citadel stood. He decided to ask them and possibly try having them travel with him when he got home, only one of the three was interested in the idea.

_“I’ll go I’ll go!”_ Prompto says giddily, levitating off the ground with his knees up against his chest.

_“It’s too dangerous, what if you get trapped or lost?”_ Ignis, the voice of reason, says.

_“Come on, I’ll be fine. Gladio went off the property and he’s okay.”_

“We’ll just start simple, like going across the street.” Noct suggests. 

But Ignis won’t relent, wringing his hands together and trembling like an overprotective mother watching her only child head off for their first day of school. Gladio places a hand on the man’s shoulder, easing his trembling as he sighs defeatedly.

_“Come on Igs, he’ll be fine.”_

_“I, guess.”_

Prompto smiles tenderly and hugs the older man. _“I’ll be alright, so relax.”_

The foursome head out the front door, with Noct rushing off ahead to the other side of the street. He takes out his phone to pretend he’s snapping shots of his house, making him seem nothing like a weirdo for just standing there. Prompto steps to the edge of the yard, taking a deep breath before subconsciously looking both ways. He takes a step forward, then another, then another. He grins brightly and flies over to where the teen is waiting, howling excitedly as he stands next to the boy, then turns to his companions back at the house. 

_“Come on! Come over!”_

Ignis fidgets but settles when Gladio rests his hand on his back, giving it a soft pat and willing the younger ghost forwards. They tentatively make their way over, joining the two across the street where Prompto latches onto Ignis and swings him around joyously.

_“You did it Iggy! See, isn’t this awesome!?”_

_“I suppose.”_ the man sighs, despite the soft smile on his lips.

“I’m really surprised you three haven’t tried this before, at least with the original owner.”

_“He was a recluse, barely ever left the house unless it was to get food for himself or his pets.”_ Ignis informs him.

“Didn’t he work?”

_“He did his lectures over the computer.”_ Prompto says and cheekily smiles. _“He had me mess around in the background to freak his students out, it was fun.”_

Noctis chuckles at this but decides to take this a bit bolder and move away further from the house. The three ghost follow after him, like little ducklings following after their mama, down the street and around the block.

_“Maybe the reason we can move around like this is because we have a connection to Noct.”_ Gladio says, stroking his beard.

_“Possibly, but I do not wish to test that theory.”_ Ignis says, his grip tightening on Prompto’s arm.

“I think it would be nice though if you guys could travel on your own. You could go for walks, experience the rebuilt area for yourselves, maybe it’ll help ease some more of your problems.” Noct tells them.

_“Hmm, that would be nice.”_ the blonde ghost says dreamily, slightly levitating but is yanked back down by Ignis. _“Chill, I’m not going to take off.”_

Noct looks at the two, brows knitting and lips pursing. They return back to the house after venturing around the block with Noct waving to his neighbors and petting some old dogs that bark at the ghosts but don’t bother them besides that. Ignis immediately heads for the kitchen but backpedals and snatches up Prompto to stand with him. The teen pokes at the largest of the three and motions to him to follow him out back.

_“What’s up?”_

_“Do you notice Ignis being a tad clingier towards Prompto since I brought up going off the property?”_

_“He’s probably scared he’ll vanish. I told you Prompto wouldn’t leave his side when they awoke and Iggy’s developed attachment issues towards him. When he was alive his whole world centered around Noct, did pretty much everything for him.”_ Gladio says and then snorts. _“Used to tease him and say he’d probably try to wip-”_

“Stop, eww, no.” Noct says and gags slightly.

The large ghost just shrugs his shoulders and sits down on the swing with his little lap dog plopping down a few seconds later. He begins to rock the swing while gently rubbing the teen’s back, looking out at the forest in thought.

_“Once you get used to something being a certain way for many years, it’s hard to break from and change.”_

“But you’re not being a jerk anymore.”

_“I could re-start if you like?”_ Gladio teases and begins laughing when the teen sits up to glare at him. _“I’m trying. It is hard though and I do find myself snapping at them when you’re not around. But I find going to watch our fish helps.”_

_“They do anything cute today?”_

_“They do the same thing every day; swim around aimlessly, beg for food, and then huddled together for a nap. Although I keep chuckling to myself creating commentary as to what they might be saying.”_

Noctis laughs. “Seriously? You dork.” 

_“Got to amuse myself somehow. I can only watch those two in there coo over one another for so long and you’re not here to stalk.”_

“You mean strong arm me into doing my work.”

_“You get back rubs out of it don’t you?”_

“True.” Noct says and sighs peacefully as his back is caressed. “I’m glad things have mellowed out and everyone's getting along, all that chaos made my brain hurt.”

_“More than your brain got hurt from those times.”_

_“I’m healed up though, still a bit achy in some spots but it’ll go away eventually. I’ve also haven’t been smoking so there’s that, my mom would be happy since she hates cigarettes.”_

_“Quite a nasty little habit you had, stunk the whole house up.”_

The teen smiles cheekily. He still does 'that', just on his way home from school now. He settles himself further into the cold lap, groaning when the hand stops rubbing his back and instead strokes his hair.

“So if you can smell things, can you feel textures and shit?”

_“Yeah, it’s very odd. Can taste things too but it’s only briefly and whatever I ingest I have to throw up.”_

“Hmm, that must suck. Especially since Iggy’s such a good cook.” Noct says and then turns to look up at the ghost. “Do I feel warm when you touch my back?"

_“Yes. How does it feel when you touch me?”_

“It’s cold. Feels like a manikin but I can feel the blemishes on your face. Like your scars and your scruffy face."

Gladio rubs at his chin. _“Huh, interesting.”_

Noctis sits up in Gladio’s lap, looking at his face with a playful glint before cupping the man’s cheeks softly and running his thumbs over the stubble. “It’s like running my fingers across a brush, kinda tickles too. Are you ticklish?”

_“No.”_

“I bet you are.”

_“I’m not, but you really are.”_

Noct squeals as he’s poked in the side, large hands wiggling up his torso and back. He latches his arms around Gladio’s neck so as to not fall back as he gets tickle assaulted and continues laughing as he buries his face in the crook of the man’s neck. Gladio stops and wraps his arms around the youth's waist, resting his chin on the teen’s head. Noctis nuzzles into the specter’s throat, softly breathing in the subtle scent of flowers he emits.

_“Your heart rates picked up.”_

“Well you just tickle assaulted me.”

_“It was beating fast then, but it just picked up even more.”_ he says and then chuckles. _“And it just got even faster.”_

“You’re being a jerk again.”

_“I’m just stating a fact.”_ Gladio snickers and pokes at the teen’s side. 

Noctis goes quiet after this, his face still pressed into Gladio’s neck with his hands balled in between them. The large ghost just begins rocking again and soothingly rubbing the boy’s back. But then a devious little snicker halts him as he peers down at the mop of black.

_“What’d you d-”_

“HA!” the teen cheers and yanks open the front of Gladio’s unbuttoned jacket. “It actually worked! Now let me see your tattoo.”

_“No.”_

“Oh come on.” 

_“It requires more than just taking off the jacket, I’d have to take my shirt off too.”_ he says and then scowls at the giddy teen. _“No you little perv.”_

“Hey, I’m not a perv, I’m just a curious teen.” Noct tells him and gives him a pleading look.

_“Later.”_

“Awesome! Can’t wait, you’re the best Gladio.” the teen cheers and plants a big smooch to the flustered man’s cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, I'm so sorry it took so long to get this out, and it's a shitty chapter too. Work has been busy and school had ramped up due to it being the final week of the mod. Also I had to write a paper on Munchausen for Psychology plus five journals where I had to play the part of someone who suffers from the disorder and it bludgeoned me emotionally to where I was exhausted to write. So I apologise immensely for this chapter if it seems weak. :\

Noct looks with childlike glee at the bare back of the large ghost, finally getting a view of the expansive tattoo that adorns his body. The teen reaches out his hands and traces some of the feathers with his fingers, not catching the subtle blush on the other man’s cheeks. 

“This is frigging awesome! Did it hurt?”

 _“Some spots, yes.”_ Gladio says and goes to put his shirt back on.

“Wait! I wanna see the front!” the teen says and gets a sigh from the ghost. Noct grins with excitement at first but then winces when he sees the large gash across the man’s front, pressing his palm against it. “Was this how you died?”

 _“No, got it the same time I did this one.”_ he says touching the one on his forehead.

Noctis frowns sadly and runs his hand over the wound. But then he wraps his arms around the ghost’s torso and buries his face in his chest, resting against the cold flesh. “It’s such bullshit, all the things you guys went through and you get trapped here. You all should have been reborn too, then you would be alive and we all could have been great friends.” he says and turns a tad red, biting his lip.

_“Don’t really know that.”_

“Well I know Luna and she was someone I knew from the past.”

Gladio gives the teen a cheeky look. _“What, you want to get rid of us?”_

“No, I like having you guys around. It’s just, it’d have been really nice if you all would be alive.” he says and fidgets. “But I’m glad you are all here now though, we can be together for some time.” 

_“Hmm.”_ Gladio grunts and puts his shirt back on. _“I wonder if my sister was reborn?”_

“Possibly, what was her name?” Noct asks as he scoots closer to the ghost as he sits down on the bed.

_“Iris.”_

“Gladiolus and Iris, those are pretty.”

_“Our mother named us. Used to hate my name though, thought it sounded girly.”_

“I like it though, it suits you.” the teen says and nudges the large man before grabbing his arm then tugging. “Okay, enough talking. Hugs and then bedtime.”

 _“You can be such a baby at times.”_ Gladio snorts and allows himself to be pulled down by the teen.

Noct removes the earpiece and shuts off the light, then leans down and pecks the man’s cheek before removing the glasses and snuggling down against him. “Goodnight Gladiolus.”

He feels his back being rubbed softly, melting into the touch as he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.

Noctis awakens the next morning, still feeling the large mass next to him that makes him smile. He retrieves the earpiece and glasses and dons them, then looks at the ghost laying next to him in a trance-like sleep. The teen gently reaches his hand out, tracing his fingers across his jaw then up the scar over his eye and then the one of his forehead. He feels a knot form in his stomach and decides to be bold and leans in to press his lips to both scars before stopping, looking contemplatively. Slowly, he lowers himself down and softly presses his lips to the other’s, feeling the strange cold hardness as is usual to the man. Noct flushes red and mumbles about being stupid while carefully sliding off the bed, then scurries over to the bathroom to get himself ready for school.Gladio’s eyes slowly open, a dusting of pink on his cheeks as he touches his lips with his fingertips.

The teen eventually scampers from his bathroom, looking forward to seeing his favorite ghost but finds the man gone already. He frowns and decides to continue getting ready for school, knowing Gladio will appear right about the time he leaves to give him a hug. But as he gets ready, only Ignis seems to be about, with no Gladio nor Prompto. He decides to give a quick hunt for them, a tad worried. Noct makes his way up towards the attic, where he begins to overhear a very intriguing conversation, one he knows he shouldn’t eavesdrop on but can’t help it since he’s the focus of the conversation.

_“Don’t let it get to ya dude, he’s just a curious teen. He’ll grow out of his crush eventually.”_

_“I just don’t want him getting too attached and become a recluse when we move on.”_

_“Well maybe we need to find him friends around the area, we can leave the property now, so it shouldn’t be too hard. We’ll just scuttle around til we find some people who we think would get along with him.”_

_“Or if we find him roommates.”_

_“Do you think he’ll even put out an ad for roommates? He might be afraid it’ll attract weirdos.”_

_“Well it probably will, but we can spy on the people easily, lay out potential traps and see how they respond. I’m sure Ignis could work up some things, get the ball rolling.”_

Noct sits down on a step, listening in some more. Did they want to leave so soon? He had hoped he’d get to spend some years with his ghosts, that interacting with them would help bring him out of himself more. The teen feels a sadness come over him, that maybe what he was doing was actually having the opposite effect on them, that they weren't really happy and wanted to move on to the afterlife. 

_“But are you going to tell him about the kid? I know he teases you about it.”_

_“No, he only does that because he believes nothing can come of it. If Iggy finds out he kissed me twice he’ll flip shit, on me.”_

Noct turns red but crinkles his brows in confusion. He knows he kissed him this morning after becoming curious and brazen; when else had he done it? 

_“I can imagine. Especially when the anniversary rolls around and we become whole again.”_

Noctis perks up at this bit of info, wondering what they meant by anniversary and become whole? All he knows that is coming up is the Nocturne Festival when the sky is unnaturally dark and everyone dresses up in costumes; it was his favorite day of the year, even more than his birthday. But more importantly, why would Ignis be mad that Noct likes Gladio? He’s an adult and Gladio’s an, well, adult ghost. He does feel really close to the large man and his heart thumps really fast in his chest when they’re together. It reminds him of that boy he seen at the playground when he was a kid, the one who beat up these bullies picking on a little girl. Noct had developed a mini-crush on the boy and dreamed that he would protect him from those who were mean to him, he decided he wanted to be his friend but the boy never returned to the park. Now he gets the same feelings for the big ghost, that if he stays with him he’ll be safe and comfortable. He does admit he finds him handsome too.

 _“Can’t let the kid know about it.”_

_“What? You think he’ll jump your bones?”_

He hears Gladio snort. _“Maybe.”_

_“Does he make you uncomfortable?”_

Noct doesn’t realize he’s holding his breath as he awaits to hear the ghost’s answer, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest and sweat begins to trickle down his forehead. He feels really strange.

 _“It's just umm, I-"_ There's a sigh. _"yes.”_

He slowly lets the air out of his lungs, but it feels like it stings as it flows out. His eyes slightly burn and he feels as though he’s been kicked in the heart. All the pain he felt before from being injured has nothing on the way he feels now. He figured Gladio wouldn't reciprocate his feelings, but he made the man feel uncomfortable and possibly hate him. What had he done? 

_“Noct!?”_ Ignis calls from down the hall, making the teengasp and dart to him. _“Breakfast is ready.”_

The teen turns a deep red, wondering if the men he was eavesdropping on realized he was there. He starts to think they may have since neither come around when he leaves, putting even more of a damper on the teen that he didn’t get his hug.

School was uneventful and dragged, especially since he found himself unable to really focus since his mind wandered back to the conversation between Gladio and Prompto with finding himself having to force back tears. He returns home, feeling quite blue along with some nausea, and heads inside. Noct drops his backpack on the coffee table and proceeds to do his homework, foregoing putting the glasses or earpiece on since he’s beginning to feel a tad spiteful for some reason he can’t explain. He knows he shouldn’t blame them, he had been the one instigating things, but he hurts. Badly. And feels angry. He feels a poke to his cheek and ignores it, then his hair gets tousled that makes him groan. The glasses are flown around him, bobbing and weaving in his peripheral vision but he continues to ignore it. 

_“What the hell crawled up your ass? We want to talk to you about something.”_

Noct scowls up at the manifested ghost who wears an equally annoyed look on his face. The glasses levitate towards him but the teen turns back to his homework.

 _“Noct? Why are you acting like a little asshole all of a sudden.”_

He slams his book closed, snatching up his stuff and stalking off up the stairs, he hears the three call to him but he continues to be petulant as he makes his way up to the attic. Noct takes his phone out and turns the flashlight app on before he retreats into the sealed off room where he tosses his stuff down and curls into a little ball. He had thought being with the three of them would make him feel better and despite all that had happened he was feeling great. But after learning he had caused Gladio discomfort and that they were talking about leaving him, he feels worse. After all the trouble they’ve been through, overcame, now this is happening. He always does this, ruins things when they seem to be getting better. Noct begins to softly weep, feeling like absolute shit as his world crumbles around him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoot! Crammed this out the best I could. (not that I should have worked on my web page homework instead or anything) Making up for the last chapter too, things get resolved and something else. ; ) Hope it's okay.

His ringtone begins to blare, pulling him from his thoughts as he still hides away in the secret room. Noct tries to ignore the phone but it continues to ring so with a deep sigh he picks it up and looks at the name, going wide eyed and answering.

“Luna? Hey, what’s going on?” he says while trying to mask the trembling in his voice.

“Noct are you alright? I’ve getting these strange feelings and I kept having visions of you in distress lately, but it got even worse today.”

The teen frowns slightly but then smiles, knowing his friend’s abilities. “Yeah, been having some issues lately, don’t want to bother you with them though.”

“Noct, we’ve been over this. You’re not a bother to me. You’re my friend and I worry tremendously about you. I’ve felt bad I hadn’t been able to talk or visit with you since you got your house.”

“It’s all right, you’ve been busy with your new business.”

“Well I’m free this weekend, would you like for me to stop on over and visit?”

“I’d love that.”

“Okay. So, what’s got you all troubled?” she says, taking a tone that tells him he can’t brush off the issues with her. 

So he tells her everything about what had happened up to this point, spilling his woes to her as she listens intently. With a deep sigh, he finishes his tale, waiting for her to respond.

“So your response to what they said was to just act like a child and sulk away, locking yourself in a room where they can’t go?” 

Noctis winces at her words, knowing them true but they still bite hard. “Yeah.”

She sighs. “Noct, you need to stop shutting yourself off, it’s not healthy. And you’re running away from your problems. Go talk to them and listen to the whole story, it might not be as bad as you think. You do have a tendency to look at things through a dark lens.” 

“But what if-”

“Stop, go talk to them. It’ll be alright, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks Luna.”

“You’re welcome, I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Kay, thanks again. Bye Luna.”

“Bye Noctis.”

He hangs up and sighs deeply, begrudgingly grabbing up his stuff and crawling back towards the main area. When he pokes his head out though he is met by three very annoyed but relieved ghosts looking down at him. Noct’s wrists are snatched by Gladio, with the man giving the teen’s arms a once over before pulling him into a deep hug.

 _“You forgot to take your medicine again this morning, didn’t you?”_

Now that he thinks about, he hadn’t, for a couple days too. He felt something was starting to be off and it wasn’t entirely due to what he overheard, but he still feels really horrible. Tears begin to trickle down his cheeks as he whimpers and feels arms encase him tighter.

“No, I’m sorry, please don’t leave me.”

 _“Oh Noct.”_ Prompto says sadly and sighs. 

He looks to Ignis and leads the other ghost leaving Gladio and the teen alone. The large ghost lifts the sobbing boy up and holds him close, rubbing his back gently.

_“We’re not going to leave you kid, so don’t worry.”_

“But I overheard you and Prompto talking about finding me roommates.”

Gladio frowns. _“Ah, you heard us.”_ he says and places his hand on the teen’s head. _“We were talking about it not because we plan on running away, but because we’re worried you’re getting too attached to us and you may harm yourself if we leave you alone.”_

He does admit he doesn’t want them to leave him and he isn’t sure if he wouldn’t hurt himself, so he’s got him there. It makes Noct feel a bit better they worry about him, but he remembers the other part of the conversation and his heart begins to hurt.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable Gladio.” he says and turns red. “I promise I won't do anything like that again.”

 _“Noct that’s-”_ the large man says and turns red, setting the teen down and then looking at him. _“It’s not what you’re doing, but just who, well-”_

“Because I’m the reincarnation of your Noctis.”

_“Yeah, I keep seeing him and that is what makes me uncomfortable. He was like a little brother to me, so when you do those things it makes me feel weird.”_

“We talked about this before, I’m not him, I’m me.” Noct says with a frown. “But, I’ll stop being so clingy and everything. I don’t want you to be upset.” 

_“I don’t mind the hugs and cuddles. The other stuff just throws me off a bit because you look like my Noct.”_

The teen's cheeks turn a shade of pink as he bites his lip. “So if I didn’t look like yours-”

_“Don’t do anything stupid kid.”_

“I won’t.”

_“Good, now come downstairs and eat, Iggy made you some dinner.”_

Noctis nods and slowly makes his way back downstairs, finding the other two waiting in the kitchen. Both of them give the teen a strong hug before sitting him down at the table, giving him his dinner and explaining more about what they have planned. 

_“We’re not going anywhere until those daemons are gone.”_ Prompto tells him. _“And even then it’s not guaranteed we’d be able to move on quickly if at all. But if we did end up being released, we don’t want you to be lonely. We know you’ll be sad, but at least you’ll have others to help you through it.”_

Noct feels slightly foolish with thinking they’d abandon him with those things still lurking about, knowing they’re not mean like that. It makes him feel more loved to know this.

 _“We found something interesting though.”_ Gladio says and leans against the kitchen counter. _“When Prompto tried to walk off the property early to follow a group of young adults hanging up flyers on posts he was snapped back onto the porch like he was being held by a rubber band.”_

“What?” 

_“Yeah, it seems we can’t leave unless you’re around.”_

Noct looks with confusion and begins to think about what the ghosts had said. Gladio had been able to walk halfway through the forest without being boomeranged back, but Prompto couldn’t even walk across the street. Was the forest special or did Gladio possess something unique that lets him move around?

 _“You’re lucky it returned you back to the house, it could have been way worse.”_ Ignis says, a slight snip to his tone. 

_“Iggy I’m fine.”_ Prompto pouts and folds his arms. _“Stop worrying.”_

Ignis looks as if he’s going to retort but shakes his head and continues cleaning up from what he had made. Later on, after Noct finishes his homework and tells them the news of his friend Luna stopping by, he tests out his wonder from earlier by having Gladio attempt to walk across the street without him. The large ghost trudges over to the other side without issue and then Prompto is sent over, with him having no issue either.

“So maybe it’s because I’m home?” Noct wonders out loud.

 _“Could be.”_ Gladio says as he walks back over. _“I’ll try to go out on my own tomorrow then.”_

Ignis sighs with annoyance and stalks back into the house, leaving the three others looking at him with confusion. Prompto frowns and dashes after the older man leaving the other two outside. Noct smiles and gives a light tug on the large ghost, giving a head gesture towards the road.

“Why don’t we go for a walk and let the two of them have some time?”

 _“You sure you want to walk around town with those dorky looking glasses on?”_ Gladio jokes and nudges the teen.

“It’s fine, if anyone asks I can just say it’s part of a costume for the Nocturne Festival.” he says and then remembers something. “Was that day something special when you were all alive?”

Gladio knits his brows and frowns deeply. _“No. It’s actually when-”_

Noct looks up at him and sees his forlorn look, realizing what the day probably was, especially since they referred to it as an anniversary. The day the Chosen King sacrificed himself to bring back the light, it was also when the three of them had died. The teen grabs the man’s large hand and stealthily stuffs their hands into his jacket pocket, smiling as Gladio squeezes the appendage and softly smiles too.

The two continue walking, taking in the crisp air as they talk some more. Gladio opens up more about his sister, talking how he helped raise her after their mother passed and father was doing his duty to the crown so wasn’t home as often. She was the light of his world, he misses her dearly. Noct rests against the man’s arm and continues to listen to his stories, becoming intrigued when he brings up the crystal and how the old Noctis could ensorcell things to change their properties; like making a restorative potion out of an energy drink, the teen would love to supercharge an energy drink. They stop by a playground with no one around and Noct rushes over to the play tower, climbing up and sliding down the slide with a gleeful laugh.

 _“Geez, you’re like a two-year-old.”_ Gladio snorts and leans against the siding, watching as the amused teen returns to the top.

“Come join me.” he says and slides down again.

_“Bit too big for that kiddo.”_

“But you’re light now and you can float, so your weight won’t matter.”

_“I meant because I’m thirty-three.”_

Noct stops and mulls over what the man said. “Fifteen.”

_“What?”_

“Nothing.” Noct pounces on the man after he slides down, dragging him up to the watchtower on the playset. “Come up here, the view is nice.”

The two stand in serene silence, looking over the hill across from the playground where a gated off pond is. A small dock resides on the edge where people can fish and some ducks quack about in the water. Noct rests his head against the man’s large arm, closing his eyes and letting the breeze gently brush against his cheeks. 

_“You feeling better? Emotionally?”_

“Yeah, I’m sorry again. I know I shouldn’t have done what I did, and it's not a legitimate excuse, but curiosity just got the better of me. I’ve never been with anyone and the only real crush I had was a kid from when I was small, if you can even call that a crush.”

 _“Look, I understand, I’m handsome.”_ Gladio says cheekily and gets a chuckle from the teen. _“But I can’t truly fulfill the role of lover for you. Being dead I give off no warmth just coldness, I’ll always stay this age while you will grow older, and if you ever wish to take things further I couldn’t really satisfy you since-_ ” he says and turns red. 

“I know, you said I look too much like him.” Noct says with a sigh.

_“I can’t get hard.”_ he says and scratches at his cheek. _"I tried to see if I could after our discussion and I felt nothing. "_

Noctis turns deep red at the man’s bluntness. “I, don’t care about that. I’m fine with just the hugging and cuddling. Kissing would be fine too.” he says and bites his lip. “I also don’t mind that you feel cold, I just like the comfort of knowing someone is beside me and that I'm not alone. I really like you Gladio.” 

Gladio look at him with contemplation for a bit before reaching out to pluck the glasses off his face. Noct goes to protest but finds the man solid with them off and looks at him with confusion. Large cold hands cup his face and tilts it slightly upwards, him looking up into the man’s eyes. Cold cracked lips press against warm soft ones as Noct feels a deep warmth surge through his body as his heartbeat speeds into overdrive. Was he hallucinating? But he feels the scratch of the large man’s stubble against his cheek as he shifts and pulls away, them looking at each other briefly before leaning in again.


	13. Chapter 13

Noct’s alarm goes off on his phone, indicating it time for him to prepare for school. He's a bit sprier today now that he has a new reason to awake each morning. He dons his glasses and finds the large ghost in his trance-like sleep on the bed next to him. Smiling, he leans down and nuzzles his nose against the other’s to wake him up, then presses a kiss to his lips before watching amber eyes slowly open.

“Morning.” Noct says softly.

A reply is mouthed back, him unable to hear due to not having the earpiece in, and Gladio sits up while rustling the teen’s hair. Noctis’ heart skips a beat as the large hand cups his cheek, a thumb caressing his skin softly. He’s probably the only person in the entire world that can truly claim a ghost as a lover, despite some weirdos on the internet claiming otherwise, but he has to keep it a secret. Even from the other two ghosts. Prompto is more due to the teasing that will ensue but also because he wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut to the other, more frightening of the group. Upon the twos return last night, they were pounced upon by the irate spirit for going off on their own where something dangerous might have befallen them, and later learned from Prompto he was getting the cold shoulder for his earlier actions. Ignis apparently doesn’t like all the change going on especially when he didn’t make the plans for it. So it was decided that telling the hand-wringing mother ghost that the teen and oldest man were a tentative couple now would probably get someone hurt. So Gladio presses a quick kiss to the teen before moving from the bed and setting off to begin collecting his stuff for school as Noct begins to get ready. 

“Good morning!” he says chipperly as he steps of the stairs and sees his three housemates.

Prompto beams at him as he puts the final touches to his lunch pack and Gladio gives him a tender smile as he stands leaning against the wall by the door. Ignis doesn’t respond and continues his task of making the teen’s breakfast, an unreadable look to him. Noct feels a slight unease and cautiously makes his way to his breakfast table, sitting down and waiting patiently while trying to seem casual. 

_“Does your friend have any food requirements I should be aware of Noct? I do not wish to make something and she not be able to eat it.”_

“Oh uh, yeah. I was going to stop by the store Friday and pick stuff up, she’s a vegetarian and also can’t have anything with wheat due to an allergy.” Noctis notices the stiffness that creeps onto the ghost’s form but then he relaxes and resumes his cooking. 

_“I do hope you return home promptly today and not dally about.”_ Ignis says and moves hotcakes he made onto a plate. _“It’s going to storm severely starting this afternoon and into the night.”_ He turns and carries the plate over, ignoring the blonde who offers to carry it and sets it on the table. _“We’ve been lucky the daemons haven't come out lately or made an attempt, but I do not wish to tempt fate.”_

Noctis frowns but thanks the man as his breakfast is set before him, eating in an uncomfortable silence. Prompto gets fidgety and begins to fuss about with Noct’s old camera as Ignis cleans up and Gladio looks towards the forest while also making faces with the teen before the others notice them. Noctis finishes eating and says goodbye, setting the glasses and earpiece onto the table by the door before grabbing up his backpack and lunch. As he steps outside though he feels arms embrace him tightly and cold chapped lips press to his forehead. 

_“Have a good day at class.”_ Noct hears softly.

He tries not to turn into a pile of goo at the affection being given to him but he can’t help it and nuzzles against the chilly mass swaddling him. He also decides to be spoiled and looks up to where he believes the man’s face to be and waits expectantly. The teen gets his wish when his lips are kissed quickly before getting a nudge towards the steps. He chuckles and makes his way to his car, tossing a soft smile over his shoulder and then leaves for school.

Later on, the teen happily skips away from his last class and heads over to his car when something out the corner of his eye catches his attention. He snaps around to look but no longer sees the thing, even though he saw it for almost an entire minute following him before he turned his head to get a better look when it seemed to get really close. It was smallish like a fennec fox with its large ears but was an ethereal blue color and slightly shimmery. Noct frowns and climbs into his car, enjoying a smoke before pulling from the parking lot.

Even though he was told to come right home he swings by the fish place to pick up some more plants and feed for the Kois, finding them to be little piglets and eating nonstop; Prompto made the suggestion that Noct may have gotten mixed sex fish and one or more may be pregnant to which Noct schooled him on how fish reproduce. The teen is, after all, a Natural Science major and hopes to become a teacher in the field thanks to his awesome professor back in school who got him set up; even if she was a weirdo frog lady. He heads inside and finds the clerk from before, greeting him before going to pick up what he needs. The bell over the front door jingles as an energetic young girl scampers in and brushes past Noct to the dog section. 

“Whoa child,” the man says with a hint of amusement at the girl. “what is the rush?”

“Puppies!” the girl squeals and gathers up some more supplies. “There was a stray roaming around the neighborhood that we would try to coax over and feed, she got used to us eventually and kept coming around after that but not enough to where we could get her in the house. But when I got home from school today my brother showed me she had puppies under our porch. My dad said we have to take good care of them first and then once they’re grown we need to find loving homes for the puppies. We’re going to keep the mama though and get her fixed.” 

Noctis smiles and chuckles softly at the gleeful girl as he sets his items down for purchase. The bell jingles again and the clerk greets this customer but no reply comes from him either giving a wave or ignoring the clerk. Noct finishes paying and starts to head out but slows down and listens to the conversation between the two, intrigued by the prospect of puppies.

“How does this look? It’s cute right?”

“You can’t put newborn pups in dresses.” a man with a deep but kind voice says.

“But I wanna make them look fab when I take their glamour shots for when we put them up for adoption.”

“They’re dogs, not beauty queens.”

The teen takes a quick glance at the pair, finding the man with his back turned sporting a jacket denoting the college he either attended or currently is, and a rather elite one at that. The man chuckles at the puffed up cheeks the young girl gives him and Noct feels something strange in his chest. But before he can even get another thought out a loud crackle of thunder startles him and makes him remember the warning from Ignis. He returns home and rushes to the backyard, placing the new plants into the pond as the Kois flit about, doing their dance and begging for food.

“Oh you four, I’m sure you’ve been fed many times already today.” Noctis snorts and puts the food into the metal canister he has by the pond. But he stops and stares over at the fish, finding them with their faces peeking out from the water and chuckles. “Oh all right, here.”

Noct tosses a handful of treats for the fish, watching as they devour every last bit before swimming about happily. A hand gently messages his back as he watches the fish making him smile. The glasses and earpiece are held out to him by the unseen being and he places them on finding Gladio standing next to him.

“Hey there handsome.” Noct flirts with a laugh and gets a soft nudge but then looks at the open back door and sees a shadow pacing around. “Is Iggy still acting all bent out of shape?”

_“Yup.”_

“Will he be okay?”

_“He’ll get over it eventually.”_

“Anything I could do to help him?” Noct asks and goes to sit on the swing up on the porch with the larger man.

 _“Figure out how to make it where he can drink his liquid crack and he’d be good.”_ Gladio says and then looks at the bewildered face of the teen. _“He had a strong obsession with a brand of coffee called Ebony, he’d drink it constantly but even more when he was stressed.”_

“Ah, I see. But I never heard of that brand.”

_“Figured it wouldn’t be around anymore. I still remember Prompto’s face when he learned Chocobos were extinct, that was pitiful.”_

“I’ve heard of those, even seen a skeleton of one at a museum. Hard to believe you could ride on them.”

_“We could. But I guess you all have some weird mini versions of Anaks now you can ride.”_

“Don’t know what those are unless you mean horses.” Noct says and then pulls his legs up to his chest, leaning into the man as an arm is wrapped around him and the swing begins to rock. “Your world sounded amazing, just like a fairytale. Monsters, magic, and gods.”

_“Some things were, but many weren’t too.”_

“Guess it’s like that no matter when you’re from.” 

A loud rumbling rips through the air and rain begins to cascade down as the air grows humid. Noct remains cuddled up to the man, knowing he is still safe until Gladio orders him inside, so he relaxes and sighs contently when his back begins to get rubbed before letting out a soft yawn. He can’t explain it, but whenever the man rubs his back with his large hands, it calms him and makes him feel sleepy. But when he opens his eyes and looks out at the forest, he sees something strange. There, staring at him from the other side of the fence is the strange blue fox-like creature he glimpsed before while at school. He knits his brows and continues to look into its eyes, feeling like it’s beckoning him. Noctis sits up and continues to stare as he steps over to the banister to look over at it, ignoring Gladio as he tries to talk to him.

_”Hey, what’s up? You see something? Hey, let’s get you back inside. I’m not sensing anything yet but you’re starting to worry me. Noct?”_

A crash of thunder rumbles loudly and like a rocket, Noct is speeding towards the fence so quickly Gladio doesn’t even notice until the teen is across the yard.

_“NOCT!”_

The teen hops the fence and continues running, following after the creature as it dashes ahead, stopping every so often to look back at him then wag its tail and continuing to run. It begins to quickly darken with the wind picking up and lightning spider webbing violently through the sky as hail begins to fall, pelting against the teen as he runs. Eventually the thing stops and perches atop a hill in a clearing where no rain nor hail strikes, looking back as the teen steps into the strange area. Noct shakes his head as he regains his mind and looks around, finding himself in the area where he found Gladio sleeping before.

“What are you, and why’d you bring me here?” he asks it and feels his phone vibrate. Noct takes out the device and knits his brows before looking at the creature. “Carbuncle?” the teen looks stunned at the thing, his brain slowly processing what he is witnessing now. Not only had he seen this weird little creature earlier at school, that it lead him here, but the thing somehow sent him a text message. Another vibrate from his phone gets his attention, looking down at what it says and turns deeply pale. “Dangerous? Safer here? Why? What’s going on?”

_“Noct!?”_

_“Noctis!?”_

He looks back the way he ran, seeing figures in the distance. “Guys! Over here!” he calls out and eventually sees the three ghosts rush over in a panic.

Gladio is the first to reach him, pulling him into a strong embrace. _“Dammit, what the hell was that!?”_

“Sorry, but he lead me here.” Noct says and points to the creature, it wagging its tail happily when two of the three look to him with intrigue.

 _“What is the meaning of this?”_ Ignis says testily, gripping onto Prompto’s arm.

“He said I’d be safer here, that it was too dangerous to stay at the house.”

 _“What?”_ Prompto says, baffled and looks around. _“Well the storm isn’t reaching this area.”_

 _“This is the place I told you both about before.”_ Gladio tells them, pulling Noct into a tighter embrace as he looks around.

 _“The throne room?”_ Ignis says and then goes still. _“Yes, I can feel a familiarity here. It’s safe and warm.”_

Noctis goes to say something but stops and looks with utter terror out into the forest, letting out a scream. Crawling from the ground is a skeletal monstrosity that shrieks as it climbs up and brandishes a sword. Then, tiny little imps skitter about, up and down the trees as they cackle malevolently. The three ghost call forth their weapons as the form a protective circle around the horrified teen, watching as the daemons clamor around the area that they are standing in. But they notice something immediately, the daemons won’t step past the tree lines and into the clearing, even going so far as to hiss at the glow emitting forth.

 _“They can’t come in here.”_ Prompto says, his face lighting up. _“We are safe here.”_

 _“Even so, we should not have left the house.”_ Ignis grumps.

“Carbuncle said it was safer here. Maybe with this storm, the daemons could break into the house or that thing was going to actually come after me.” Noct suggests as he continues to hide his face into Gladio’s back.

 _“Gods only know.”_ Gladio sighs out and continues to watch the daemons sputtering about. _“So what now?”_

 _“Well we can’t return to the house now.”_ Ignis says and then sighs. _“I guess we are to camp out in this clearing until morning.”_

 _“Oh fun.”_ Prompto grumbles.

 _“Got a problem with camping.”_ Gladio snorts.

 _“Hated it alive, and sure as shit will still hate it dead.”_ the blonde says but then purses his lips and looks to the frightened teen. _“What about Noct?”_

“I’ve slept outdoors before, had a tent though but I can make due and Gladio can just give me his jumbo coat if I get cold.” 

_“Then I think you should turn in for the night now.”_ Ignis tells him. 

“Uh no.” He says but then fusses even more when the glass and earpiece are snatched off by Ignis. “Wha? Hey come on!”

He feels something large and heavy swath him as he’s led over to where the hill is, then set down against it while he groans out in annoyance. He’s eighteen dammit, they can’t force him to take a nap. He frowns and grunts, trying to wiggle free but the message that starts to be given to him feels too good so he relents and just lays there. He can faintly hear an echoing like a gun firing through the howling of the wind and crackling of the thunder, but he slowly feels himself becoming drained and begins to nod off, seeing Carbuncle laying down next to him as he falls asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

The air is thick and grossly humid when Noct awakens, taking a breath but finds himself stuffed up and rattle chested. He lets out a wet cough and feels something shift against him before something cold is pressed to his forehead. He can’t see who it is due to not having the glasses on, but by the size, he can tell it’s Ignis hand. 

“Are you guys alright? What happened?” Noct grumbles out before coughing painfully again and feeling the heaviness around him shift while holding him closer. “Gladio?”

But he doesn’t get a response and is instead hoisted up carefully before being carried away from the area. Noctis blinks and looks around, a thick fog engulfs the entire area and rain trickles through the openings in the treetops. He paws about against the mass holding him, hoping to get the man’s attention.

“Hey, come on, don’t ignore me. Please?” he says and snuffles, not due to sadness but his oncoming sickness.

Gladio becomes solid first and Noct looks up at him, a sense of relief the man is okay. Well, he should be anyway since ghosts can’t really be injured. Or could they? He feels a hand on his head that ruffles his hair and looks back, giving a soft smile to Prompto who walks aside them with Ignis gripping his arm. They were all okay. But his phone vibrates, catching his attention and he attempts to wriggle loose a bit to get it but Gladio continues to hold him tightly. The weird little fox-thing perches up on the largest man’s shoulder, looking down at Noctis with concern before carefully crawling down and nestling in between the two of them. The trees begin to become less dense, signifying they are drawing closer to the house, but once they breach the forest line they stop moving and stare. Noct shuffles himself around and looks, becoming horrified at what he sees. Branches are strewn across the yard, with the tire swing laying on the ground with the branch that once held it broken nearby. The large bay window is shattered along with some other windows being cracked and the backdoor now hangs halfway off its hinges, large gashes across the wood. 

“Oh my god.” Noctis gasps out and wiggles around, still trying to break from the man’s hold. He becomes even more frantic when Gladio doesn’t release him and too when he spots the branch covered pond, worried about the Kois. “Gladio, put me down. I wanna check the fish.”

But he doesn’t budge and instead motions for Prompto to go forth. The blonde ghost cautiously steps onto the property and then heads over to the pond, carefully moving the branches away and looking at the water. His face goes from serious to joyful and looks back at the others, giving a thumbs up. The fishy-foursome were unharmed. Noct once again attempts to pull from Gladio but the man keeps his protective grip on the teen as they make their way to the remnants of the porch. 

“Man, this is going to be expensive to get repaired, not to mention a bitch to clean up.” Noct says and sneezes loudly before groaning. He grunts in annoyance as Gladio enters the house cautiously, then makes his way up the stairs as the blue fox scampers ahead and sniffs around. It comes back and looks up at the large ghost, it’s tail wagging happily. Noct’s phone vibrates again, but this time he’s allowed to check it, finding a reply from the creature. “Says he senses a faint presence lingering in the house, but it’s stronger downstairs, towards the basement.”

Gladio puffs out his cheeks and seemingly sighs, even though they manifested themselves he can’t hear them. The large ghost carries the teen into his room and gently lays him on his bed, cupping his cold hand against Noct’s cheek and looking to him tenderly. He mouths something the teen can’t make out and points to his ear. But Gladio just shakes his head and proceeds to the bathroom where the water begins to run. Noctis goes to stand but finds his body way too stiff and achy, falling back onto the bed and coughing painfully. Nothing like sleeping outside in the middle of a thunderstorm and possibly catching pneumonia. He snorts snot through his nose, groaning to himself before looking down at the creature that his rubbing up against his side.

“Hey uh-” His phone buzzes again. “Oh, Carbuncle, yeah. So what are you exactly?” 

His phone buzzes again and he learns of what the creature is. He was a spirit guide who helped the original Noctis when he was in his coma and continued helping him when he could throughout his journey. Carbuncle had recently awoken and followed the scent of Noct’s spirit, also sensing an increase disturbance around him that could potentially harm him. So he led the teen to the hallowed grounds in the woods to protect him from the threat. Noctis looks to the fox, smiling brightly at him before picking him up and petting him.

“So are you going to stay here with me too now?” he asks and gets a yes via text, making him smile even bigger. “Great, I always wanted a dog. But my dad was allergic so I could have one.” Noct says and cuddles the creature, chuckling as Carbuncle licks his cheek. “So do you need food or anything? Are you house trained?”

Never before would Noct have imagined he would witness an animal rolls its eyes and sigh, but the little fox spirit does making the teen snort before coughing violently. He lets out a pitiful groan and flops onto his back, kicking his shoes off and curling up on his bed. He checks his phone for other messages, finding one from his school saying classes were canceled and about a dozen from his mother in a tizzy, making sure he is all right. He smiles and sends her a response back to alleviate her fears. Gladio emerges from the bathroom where steam is billowing out of now and a subtle smell of menthol wafts into his stuffy nose. He scoops the teen up bridal style and carries him into the bathroom plopping him down on the toilet lid before he turns away, giving the teen some privacy as he undresses and carefully slips into the soothing water. Noct sighs deeply and rests his head on the side, looking up at Gladio who takes a quick glance and smiles before turning back towards the wall.

“Geez, why are you acting all bashful? I’m sure you’ve seen me naked before, or the old me at least.” he chuckles and reaches out towards him. 

The large ghost makes a silent sigh and slumps down next to the tub, lacing his fingers with the teen’s and smiling as Noct rests his face against his hands. The younger man likes the feeling of his warm flesh on the other’s coldness, it’s such a contrast it feels exhilarating. He looks up at the man, his blue eyes shining as he decides to be playful and flutters his lashes and making his lips look pouty, getting a silent laugh from the man. But his cold won't have any of this cuteness and he begins to have a coughing fit with tears, snot, and phlegm dripping down his face. A washcloth is gently pressed to his face, wiping away the substances before the cold hand cups his cheek again and Gladio gives him a soft look. But he quickly pulls his hand away and goes stiff as Ignis steps into the bathroom, his lips down turning into a frown before quickly going blank and turning to the teen. He hands over the confiscated items to the teen and once they are in place, begins to give the rundown of what all had transpired. 

_“We found some Goblins lurking in the darkness of the basement, it would seem that nighttime isn’t what brings them out but the dark. Prompto took care of them and checked every other nook and cranny, but this brings up a grave issue.”_

“They’ve gained access to the house?” 

_“Yes. We have fought greatly for centuries to prevent this, but now they can fully step inside and not just lumber about on the porch.”_

“So what does that mean?” Noct asks, frowning but resisting the urge to grab for Gladio’s cold hand that he has rested on the side of the tub. “Should I not have ran to the clearing?”

 _“You should have gone to the crawl space so we could have been here to defend the property. But even so, it would have been more imperative for us to have remained here.”_ Ignis snips, glaring at Gladio. 

_“You didn’t have to follow me.”_

“ _We need all three of us to properly defend the property so-”_

The earpiece is snatched from Noct by Gladio before the large ghost stands and begins to have a shouting match with the other. The teen groans and watches them argue, knowing it’s getting bad when Prompto beelines into the room and tries to calm the situation. He begins to wonder if there would be a way to put a hex up just like the man did with the crawlspace door, even if it couldn’t be over the whole house, maybe just his room or even the upstairs? He’ll have to look over the man’s notes, see what he has written; not that he thinks he’ll be able to do anything with it but- 

“Oh shit!” Noct says suddenly that startles the three. “Luna’s coming tomorrow, I need to start getting things cleaned up and head to the store.” 

The teen attempts to stumble from the tub but gets shoved back down by Gladio and gets a bottle of body wash handed to him with an admonishing point. He goes to protest but the glasses are removed leaving him unable to see them so he petulantly grumps and begins to wash himself. Once squeaky clean and dressed, the teen ambles down the stairs, finding the broken glass cleaned up along with anything upturned resituated. The door and window are tapped up with heavy-duty plastic wrap and the blue flower is placed inside a new pot since apparently the original was broken. A rancid smell hits his slightly less clogged nose, making him retch and look to the open basement door. Must have been those things Prompto killed, he’ll have to get some air fresheners to stick about, maybe even some baking soda. He sees the glasses and earpiece laying on the table coffee, so after shifty eyeing them for a bit the teen begins to tiptoe over but before he can get them, they are snatched up. He groans but then cheers when his new pupper bounds over and reclaims the items, bobbing and weaving away until he jumps into Noct’s awaiting arms.

“Good Boy!” he says and puts the items back on, scowling at the three. “Stop being jerks.”

 _“Noct,”_ Ignis says, taking a scolding tone. _“this is a matter of your life potentially being threatened and not to be taken lightly.”_

“I know that, but arguing with one another and treating me like a fragile little doll isn’t the way to go about it. Did you treat the old me like this?”

 _“No, he had magic and training to protect himself.”_ Gladio adds in but retracts back a bit when the teen looks slightly hurt but quickly regains himself and continues on. _“So compared to us, the old you, and what these things can do you are technically a fragile little doll.”_ he says and takes a softer tone. _“We don’t want you hurt Noct.”_

 _“Yeah, you’re our buddy. We almost lost you once before, we don’t want it to happen again. Especially now they can get into the house. It also wouldn’t be right to have you locked up in the crawl space whenever it gets dark.”_ Prompto tells him and gives him a nudge. 

“Hey, speaking of the crawl space, do you think if I could figure out a way about it to put up more hexes around the house? Like the doors, windows, my room?”

 _“Possibly, but it would restrict us and our movements.”_ Ignis points out, killing the idea.

“Ah, forgot about it then.” he says and thinks some more. “Maybe Luna can do a cleansing.”

 _“Again, it would probably hinder us.”_ Ignis says and frowns. _“If she has the ability to cleanse the whole stretch of land it would be fruitful, but just the house wouldn’t suffice and it would prohibit us from entering the property. Or maybe send us to the afterlife.”_

Noctis winces at that last part. He knows they originally talked about them passing over and being free, but he feels a tug of selfishness, not wanting them to go. He turns to Gladio, finding the man looking disheartened but again resisting the urge to glom onto the man. His phone vibrates, signifying Carbuncle is probably texting him again and checks the message. 

_“Isn’t there like an easier way for him to communicate with you? I mean what if your phone loses power or you don’t have it with you?”_ Prompto states. 

“It’s actually my mom replying back to me, not-.” Noct’s phone vibrates again making him purse his lips. “Oh, now it’s him. He said he can communicate with me through it even if it isn’t charged and he’ll make sure I have my phone with me at all times.” 

_“Aw, what a good boy you are.”_ Prompto chortles and scratches the creature under its chin. _“So did he belong to the old Noct?”_

“Yeah, said he was his spirit guide animal.”

 _“Odd, Noct never mentioned it before.”_ Ignis says, looking slightly perturbed. 

_“Kid liked to keep shit bottled up and to himself.”_ Gladio adds in, mimicking the perturbed look of his companion. 

Noctis can’t help but roll his eyes, knowing the ghost is guilty of that now, hell he is too. But he decides to change the subject matter back to his broken windows and door, with Gladio suggesting the teen go purchase a new door that he’ll put up while calling a professional to have them fix the windows. So after grimacing at the cost it’ll be and getting the measurements, Noctis begins to head out to his car, finding it thankfully undamaged since he started parking it under the old carport he thought would collapse if a leaf would land on it, but before he can get into the car he feels something cold touch his cheek making him jump slightly. Gladio solidifies himself and pulls the teen into a hug before pressing a kiss to his forehead. Noct looks to him with expectation and makes the man smile. Cold lips press against his warm ones briefly and Gladio pulls away, ruffling the teen’s mop top and returning to being invisible. Noct smiles brightly and is deeply happy, despite the backside of his house being a shithole and feeling like ass due to his cold. He spots Carbuncle perched on the passenger seat, tail thumping away and looking amused at him.

“Shh.” Noct says, pressing a finger to his lips. “Don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret.”

The teen has to hold back a snort as it seems the creature nods at him before trotting around in a circle and plopping down. What a hell of a couple days it’s been, going from despair to joyful, then to horrible. He just hopes it gets better, especially since Luna is coming to visit.


	15. Chapter 15

He had finally arrived at the strip mall where the store he knew he could get the best selection of food for Luna after he got the door he needed, and trying to fit it into the back of his rickety ass shit mobile for twenty minutes before getting pissed and tethering it to the hood. But before he heads in, a sign catches his eye. Noctis stares at it for a moment, mulling over whether or not he should head into the parlor for the special that’s offered or just purchase what he needs and head home. 

“What do you think Carbuncle?” he asks, looking down at his newest companion who he has stuffed into his tote bag, like an old lady with a purse dog. His phone vibrates and he checks the message, grinning at he response. “Awesome!”

The teen makes a detour into the other store, emerging an hour later and feeling greatly refreshed despite still being snuffly, then heads into the store for the items he needs. He gets stopped countless times by women of all ages, cooing over his tiny cute _‘dog’_ with some of them fawning over him, and then heads home. He carefully navigates his car to the back of the house, since it would make it easier for Gladio to get the door off of his car. Noct brings the bags inside and deposits them onto the floor in the kitchen before trotting to his glasses and earpiece, placing them on and looking to see if the ghosts are there. They are, and two of the three stare confuddled at him as the teen snickers while turning three-sixty for them. 

“So? What do you think?”

 _“Holy shit.”_ Prompto says but then gets a gleeful look to him and flies over to the camera, grabbing it up and snapping shots of him. _“You look great!”_

Noctis looks to Gladio next, giving a playful look to the oldest man who regains his composure and fidgets. “How is it?”

 _“It’s, different.”_ he says and blushes slightly. 

Noct smiles bashfully. “Do you like it?”

Gladio turns red but then gives a cheeky grin to the teen and goes to respond but a throat clear stops him cold.

 _“Please do not keep me in the dark, what has he done to himself?”_ Ignis asks, hand-wringing and growing agitated. 

“I changed my hair.” the teen says, rubbing his fingers over the short strands on the back of his head. “Got the back cut, left the top kinda long and got some red strands.”

_”Oh, I thought you maybe got a piercing or a horrendous tattoo in a bout of teenage anarchy.”_

Noctis resist the urge to roll his eyes at the mother-henning the man is doing before hacking up a lung which kicks the ghost’s need to take care of him into overdrive.

 _“Prompto, please stop taking glamour shots and put the groceries away. Gladio get to fixing the door and add another layer of insulation to the windows. You young man, up to bed and rest. I will have soup ready for you in a moments time.”_ he says and returns to the kitchen. _“When was the last time you had medicine?”_

“Uh, before I left?” Noct guesses and sniffles.

 _“Take something then and go rest. You want to be up and about when Lady Lunafreya arrives tomorrow, not be a sneezy slug in your bed.”_

“Her name’s just Luna and she-” he says but stops when Ignis turns his head towards him, lips pressed into a thin line. “Ugh, I’m going.” Noct sighs and heads up to his room. 

He flops onto his bed and kicks off his shoes before taking out his phone. He snaps a few shots of himself in silly poses which he sends to his mother and Luna, getting replies back that makes him chuckle. His newest little companion hops onto the bed with him, snuggling into his side and getting a nice pet from the teen.

“Guess things are back to relative normal and not too bad, eh ‘Buncles?” he says and smiles when said being’s ears flicker about, then a big yawn escapes him as he rolls onto his back for a belly rub. “Even though my windows are busted, back door is ripped off its hinges, and daemons can possibly chill in my house now, I got a handsome ghost boyfriend, an awesome dog who is actually my spirit animal that communicates like a teen girl, and a fresh new do.”

Carbuncle nuzzles the teen’s face and curls up on his chest when the teen lays back to return to texting on his phone. Not much later, Prompto ventures into his room with the soup Ignis made and a strange smile on his lips that slightly bothers the teen.

“Why are you grinning like that?”

 _“So, Noctis, my buddy. Level with me here.”_ Prompto says and wiggles his brows, giving Noct extreme deja vu. _“This haircut, you did it so Gladio would really stop seeing you as the old Noctis, right? Cause you like him and want to date him.”_

Noctis turns beet red and stammers, covering his face with his hands and wiggling away from the pokes he gets from the blonde. “That’s not it.” Noctis offers but the spirit knows it’s bullshit and continues to prod him.

 _“Oh? So the little smiles and flirty looks were all my imagination? Dude, I have it on camera.”_ he says and presents the device to him. 

Noct groans when he remembers Prompto was taking his picture, kicking himself for not keeping it under control. But he silently cheers when Carbuncle pounces the device and runs off with it, Prompto in toe yelling for the thing to come back. Noct snorts and shakes his head, picking up the tray with the soup and enjoying some; immediately regretting it when he bites down and gets the foul taste of an onion that makes him vomit into the bowl. He rushes to the bathroom and barely makes it to the toilet where what he ate earlier comes back up, adding to the vile flavor already in his mouth. With a groan, he rests his cheek against the seat and snuffles deeply, feeling bile rise every time he tries to swallow.

 _“Noctis are you alright?”_ Ignis asks as he appears in the bathroom in a flash, concern etched onto his face. _“What’s wrong?”_

“Onion.”

Ignis goes silent, his jaw clenching before he groans deeply. _“An onion made you act so repulsed you purged into your soup bowl and toilet?”_

“Allergic.” he whimpers and can’t control himself, vomiting violently again.

Ignis pinches the bridge of his nose. _“Really now? What next, carrots give you hives?”_

“I like carrots.” the teen mumbles out, not noticing the shocked expression the other man makes. “Ugh, I just want crackers and ginger ale now, no more soup, stomach hurts.” 

_“I, shall go get some for you.”_ the ghost says and disappears.

Noct groans and shifts about, feeling like shit. Not long after he feels large hands rub against his back as a box of crackers and bottle of soda are set down. He turns his head and smiles at the large ghost before leaning back to cuddle.

 _“Do you really have an allergy to onions? Or did you just troll Ignis?”_

The grin from the teen says it all, making the elder snort and shake his head before leaning down to press a soft kiss to the other’s forehead.

 _“You do realize he’ll catch on to your little lie and get revenge, and trust me when I say he’s ruthless and vindictive.”_

“You sound like you had experienced this first hand.” 

_“Yup.”_

Noct snickers and snuggles into the man’s large arms. “Was the door the correct size?”

 _“Yeah, fits nicely and is sturdy. Don’t know if it’s daemon proof.”_

“Hmm, but you guys will protect me.” he says and looks up at the ghost. “So you do like my new haircut?”

 _“Yeah, it suits you.”_ Gladio tells him and brushes a couple of the red fringes with his fingers. “The color’s nice and the style frames your babyface.” 

The teen smiles pleased but then frowns slightly. “Oh umm, Prompto kinda saw us making googly eyes at each other, even took some photos.”

 _“Oh.”_ Gladio says and grimaces.

“Yeah, but Carbuncle grabbed the camera and ran off with it, I haven’t seen either since.” Noct tells him and sighs deeply. “Do you really think Ignis would be mad if he knew?”

 _“Yes. The man already has the next five years planned for you, and canoodling with me isn’t part of his grand scheme.”_

“Geez, let me guess. Finish school with nothing less than 3.5 GPA, find a high paying job, meet a nice lady, get married, and have kids?”

_“Plus not get eaten by daemons .”_

“Ugh, one of the reasons I left home was to get away from the micromanaging.”

 _“It’s like with me, he had a certain responsibility ingrained into him from a young age to help make Noctis a great ruler and it’s hard to break from._ Gladio says and pulls him into a tight embrace. _“But you don’t have to worry, he won’t maim you, just me.”_

“Can you guys get injured? From like the daemons?”

_“Sort of, it decreases our abilities to function and if we get too weak, they may be able to possess us. At least that’s what Izunia surmised.” ___

__“Izunia?”_ _

___“The original owner.”_ _ _

__“Oh yeah, him.” Noct says and makes a mental note to remember to show Luna the journal and secret room. He grabs up the soda and crackers and returns back to his room along with Gladio, flopping down onto his bed and opening the cracker box. “I’d ask for cuddle times, but with Prompto being onto us-”_ _

__He gets cut off when Gladio rolls him over and plops down next to the teen, pulling him into a hug and rubbing his back._ _

_“We always do this though, so as long as we don’t start going at it like two handsy hormonal young lovers, it’s fine.”_

__Noctis snorts but snuggles into the large mass of the ghost, snacking away at a cracker that barely covers the taste he still has in his mouth. Carbuncle returns a bit later, hopping happily into the room and situating himself onto the teen’s side, then thumping his tail when the large ghost begins to give him a scritch under his chin._ _


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for being lax, but here's the next chapter. :D

Noctis scurries about making sure everything is in tip-top shape before Luna is to arrive, only stopping to huff at the three that stand in the kitchen chattering amongst themselves. While he knows it is _‘his’_ guest coming over and therefore he’s the one to be doing the cleaning, they could help by levitating themselves and getting the cobwebs from the corners. But the doorbell rings, making him jump with a start and then become gleeful that his friend has arrived. He tosses the glasses and earpiece into a drawer before heading to the front door, doing a little dance before composing himself and opening the door. A young woman with a blonde pixie cut stands there, a warm smile on her face that turns into shock then to excitement as she sees the teen.

“Noctis, my goodness your hair. It looks lovely.” she says and wraps her arms around the teen. “I missed you.”

“Thanks, missed you greatly too.” he says and then steps aside to let her in. “Welcome to my home.”

Luna steps in, looking around with wonderment as Noct goes to close the door but something stops the door and startles him before an arm wraps around his torso, hoisting him up into a bear hug.

“Yo Noct! How’s it going little man?”

“Nyx!” the teen cheers and laughs, hugging the man back as he gets spun around and then set down. “I’m good, how’s work going?”

“Great! Thought I’d join in and visit you too after Luna said she was coming over.” he says and fluffs the boy’s hair. 

Two more people step in, making Noct become even more chipper and pull them into hugs. “Crowe, Libertus, this is awesome!”

“Oi, what the hell happened to your window?” Libertus asks, eyeing the tarp that is neatly taped up.

“There was a bad storm last night that shattered it, tried calling a repair company but they can’t send anyone out till Monday.”

“Screw that, me and Nyx can fix it, just need the dimensions and we’ll head out later to pick a new one up.”

Noct grins and begins to feel extremely happy, but that quickly tapers off when a young man whose face oozes condescension steps in, turning his nose up at the house before looking with disdain at the teen. 

“Noctis.” he says dryly.

“Ravus.” the teen replies back, trying desperately to not groan.

“Sorry kid, he’s the only one who had a big enough car to transport us all.” Crowe says and pats his back. 

After the group is all in, Noctis shuts the door and turns back to them, finding them look bewilderedly. He follows their eyes to Luna, who stands before the kitchen with eyes widened and mouth slightly agape. It was then Noctis remembers the older woman’s abilities and her being in tune with the spirits, guessing she probably just saw the three ghosts.

“Babe, you okay?” Nyx asks, looking slightly confounded at his girlfriend as she begins to smile pleasantly at the unseen. 

“Why hello there, it’s good to finally make all of your acquaintances, I have heard much about yous from Noctis.” she says, pauses, and then giggles. “Yes, he can be a handful, but he’s a sweet boy.”

“Uhh, I am here, you know.” the teen says, turning red in the face.

“What, is she doing?” Libertus asks, confused.

Crowe's face lights up. “You have spirits here?”

“Yeah, I have three.”

“Preposterous, you truly expect us to believe your fa-” Ravus stands stiffly and in shock as a plastic cup soars past his head and bounces off the wall behind him, slowly turning to look down at the object.

Noct groans and rubs his temple. “While I’m glad you chose the non-glassware, that was not nice Gladio.” 

“Lunafreya,” Ravus snaps and begins to storm towards his sister, grabbing her arm. “we are leaving this instance, it is not safe here.”

“Oh come now Ravus, I’m here to visit with Noctis. So you can go sit in the car if you want, but I’m staying.” she says with a finalized tone and then turns to look admonishingly towards the kitchen as she yanks her arm from her brother’s grip. “And I would have expected someone of your age and apparent pedigree to have better manners, even if someone offends you.”

Noctis can’t help but snicker, only imagining what the large ghost’s facial expression is. 

“Hey, what are they like. Do they look all bloody and gross?.” the brunette woman asks, growing giddier by the moment. “Come on, tell me.”

“Just hold on, I have something you can see them with.”

Noctis goes to retrieve the items for her but then he hears a soft gasp and stops, looking over at the others who have looks ranging from ecstatic to terrified. He steps away from where the stand is and peers into the kitchen, finding the three fully materialized.

“Holy shit.” Nyx says, looking the three up and down before grinning at the teen. “Well aren’t you lucky, three handsome men all to yourself. If I wasn't already lovingly committed I wouldn’t mind being a fifth wheel here.”

The eye roll and scoff from Ravus doesn’t go unnoticed by Noct but he ignores him and just shakes his head at his friend’s bluntness, even Luna chuckles at her boyfriend. Things settle down marginally after a while once the newcomers grow tired of playing twenty questions with the spirits, especially after they give in and tell the sordid details surrounding the group's past life. Nyx, Liberatus, and a woeful Ravus make a trip to the hardware store to acquire a window for the teen as Crowe stays at the house to chat with Prompto and Ignis. Noctis steps out to the back porch, smiling at his friend as she scans through the journal of the previous owner and enjoys being rocked on the porch swing by the largest of the three specters. 

“You two getting along?”

_“Of course.”_ Gladio says and smiles smugly. _“Although she has told me some scandalous things about you.”_

“That’s mean.” the teen whines but then yips when he’s pulled onto the ghost’s lap and tickled. He rests his head against Gladio’s chest and looks to his friend who looks to him with joy. “Find anything interesting?”

“Quite a lot, yes. The incantations he uses are basic but highly effective, I can only imagine what the true spell could manage.”

“I saw pictures on the wall in the crawl space similar to those in the book, but they were a lot more intricate and had these runes woven around the lines.” 

“I actually wouldn’t mind seeing that hidden room now, if you don’t mind.” Luna says and shuts the journal.

“Sure.” Noct says and then looks to Gladio, smiling and pressing a quick kiss to the underside of his chin before standing up with his friend. “Be back in a bit.”

The ghost nods and makes himself invisible, the swing stopping but his heavy footsteps give away he’s stepping off the porch; more than likely taking his spot over by the willow to watch the fish. The two friends make their way through the house, snickering as they see Crowe stare starry-eyed back and forth at the other two ghosts, as the one cooks and the other shows off his photo collection. Up the stairs they go to the attic, stopping at the small door that leads to the crawlspace. Luna eyes the runes inscribed on the wood as Noctis grabs his lantern and a small portable fan, looking intently at them.

“What’s up?”

“I’ve seen things like these before on rocks that were on display at a museum in Galdin.” she says and turns back to the teen. “These ruins were inscribed into places by the Oracles of old to prevent Daemons from harming those taking refuge there.”

Noct furrows his brows and bites his lip. “But Gladio and the others aren't Daemons, how come they wouldn’t be able to pass through then?”

“I’m not sure, maybe he reconfigured the incantation to include them.”

This makes Noctis think, if the hex had been altered to include the three ghosts, could it be changed back to where it just inhibited the Daemons? If so, it would definitely keep the evil spirits at bay and the property safe. But then how come the original owner didn’t put these types of hexes up? These thoughts begin to make his brain hurt, so he decides to just put it aside for now and take Luna through the crawl space. Once inside, Noctis sets up the lantern and fan before the older woman begins to delve through the stacks of books on an old rickety shelf as Noct paws through the desk some more. He finds papers that delve deeper into what the man wrote about the ghosts and reads over them, chuckling to himself as he does. But a startled noise from Luna snaps his attention away, looking up to find her staring down at a gleeful Carbuncle whose tail flops around like a propeller.

“Well hello there, Noctis didn’t inform me he had a spirit animal.” she coos and boops the creature on its nose. “An adorable one at that too.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see him all morning and thought he went into hiding. His name’s Carbuncle. Apparently he guided the old me whenever it was needed.”

Carbuncle hops off Luna’s lap and bounds over to the teen, scuttling up him and draping over his shoulder before nuzzling against his cheek. 

Luna chuckles and returns to her scouring. “You’re doing quite well for yourself Noctis. You have a beautiful home, a darling little guardian, and three very caring housemates, one of whom you somehow managed to get to court you.”

“Hey,” Noct pouts. “you make it sound like I’m a deplorable person.” 

“It’s not like that.” she says and then takes a fond look with him. “You just have a tendency to, oh how does Nyx put it, _‘not people well’_ and turn others off.” 

“But I made friends with all of you guys, well not your brother, he’s a jerk.”

The woman chuckles and shakes her head before smiling deeply at him. “That’s because we understood you and could see what a truly good person you are.” 

“Thanks Luna.” Noct says and returns her smile but then frowns. “So, what exactly did you tell Gladio about me? It wasn’t what happened during at the Nocturne Festival two years ago, was it?”

She grins. “Maybe?”

“Seriously?”

“I’m teasing you, I didn’t tell him any secrets about you. He more or less asked me questions about how to help you cope when you get really down and any signs he should be aware of in case you fall into your dark place.”

“Oh.” His heart begins to beat quickly in his chest as a heat rushes to his cheeks and he smiles. 

“He seems to care for you a great deal, I was worried at first.” she says and lets a bit of a smirk slip through.

Noctis catches the look and grimaces. “You didn’t give him a shovel talk, did you.”

She grins again making Noct snort and shake his head. He could only imagine the face the large ghost made while being verbally assailed by such a petite woman. Despite getting along greatly with his three spectral roommates, he really did miss his friends.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _*facepalms hard*_ I believe I screwed up my numbering before, should be somewhat normal now. Well anyway, finally got a few brief moments in between work, school, and my own personal problems to work on this. Thank you all again. : )

Noctis watches from his tire swing as Nyx and Libertus work together effortlessly to fix his window, seeing the skill that earned them a five-star rating for their self-run repair business. He then looks to Crowe who is still chatting up Prompto, both tinkering around with the old camera the ghost is fond of. Next he turns to the grill where Ignis is putting his amazing cooking skills to use and keeping Ravus amused enough the man is actually being civil. Luna sits on the bench swing, a stack of journals and tomes next to her that she has become enthralled with, only moving to turn a page or pet Carbuncle who hasn’t left the woman’s lap since she sat down. He feels a soft push against his back that makes the swing begin to sway again and looks back fondly at Gladio, then man smiling in return.

Then just as quickly as it started the man shirks away and goes to stand by the fish pond, looking like an admonished child and that greatly baffles the teen. He glances at Luna but finds her with her nose still stuffed in a book. Noct raises an eyebrow, wondering what got under the man’s skin, then he finds out what. Ignis has his head tilted in the direction of the larger ghost, face unmoving and lips pressed into a thin line with a crinkle in his brow. This makes the teen blanche, wondering if Prompto innocently said something to him about the pictures or if he overheard Luna’s shovel talk. But if true it will greatly annoy him, he is an adult and it’s not like they’re doing anything indecent. Hell, even if they were it’s not like he can get ghost STD’s. He mulls over that train of thought for far too long then he should have and gets a poke to the cheek by Nyx.

“Hey little man, we’ve been trying to call you for a couple minutes now. The windows all finished and Luna has some things for you.” 

“Oh, awesome, thanks Nyx.” the teen says and follows after the older man to check out his work. “Man, you guy are amazing!”

“Welcome kid.” Libertus says as he cracks open a beer. “It’s a strong enough material to not break from hail or strong wind, don’t know about your daemon problem though.”

“Well I’ve looked into that aspect and I may have an idea.” Luna tells him as she places her hand on the stack of journals. “But I need to test it out on a small scale first.”

Noctis smiles brightly, feeling a deep warmth fill him. “You all are the greatest.” he says chipperly and then turns back to the blonde woman. “So you found some other things?”

“Yes.” she says and frowns slightly. “Are you aware what the daemons’ main goal is?”

“World domination?” he asks, shrugging and making her sigh. 

“Well, sort of.” Luna says and flips through one of the journals. “From what the author said, the daemons wish to regain their hold on the land like they once had, and in order to do that they need host bodies that can move around, possibly pass on their dark essence and breed hatred.”

“So like possessing people and then passing along their daemon spluge?”

Luna’s face goes rigid as she stares dumbfoundedly at the teen, groaning softly at his poor word choice. But then the boy receives a quick bop to his head making him yip and look with a pout up at the blind ghost. 

“That was mean.”

_“You, young man, need to use better language in front of a lady.”_

“Well you haven’t heard this lady curse out someone for mocking her profession.” 

_“Still, you need some manners when around others, even if they are your friends.”_

_“Geez Iggy,”_ Gladio begins as he steps onto the porch and leans against a post behind the teen. _“did you sit on one of those fallen branches or something? You’re being a bit high strung lately.”_

Noct smiles and forces down a chuckle as he leans back into the larger man, nudging him and getting pokes in return. This all comes to a stop though when Ignis turns his whole form to face them, an aura of indignation radiating from him.

 _“Gladiolus, a word if you would.”_ he says and phases through the banister before stalking over towards the willow tree. 

The large ghost huffs and follows after with Prompto a few steps behind looking concerned. 

“Oh geez Noct, looks like mom and dad are fighting.” Liberatus teases.

“That’s not good, is it?” Crowe asks, watching as the two get up in each others' face. 

“Nope.” Noct says with a frown.

He knows going over will only make things worse at the moment, so he decides to give them some time to talk it out as he takes over the grill. The non-ghosts of the group begin to eat and have a nice discussion, laughing about old times, and talking about what they are planning to do in the coming weeks. This eventually leads to the Nocturne Festival, with the teen coming up with a grand idea.

“I’ll have a party here! You all can come and bring some friends, it'll be great.” 

“You may want to get that approved first by your mom ghost.” Liberatus says and gestures over by the large willow. “He looks none too happy at the moment.” 

Noctis frowns and looks over at the three specters, finding Gladio and Ignis still in the thralls of their argument as Prompto tries to mediate. 

“What are they even going on about? Can you hear them, Luna?” Noct asks.

“Yes.”

“What are they bitching about then.” 

The blonde woman turns a soft shade of pink and pokes at her salad, her lips pursed tightly. “You, amongst other things.”

“Me? Ugh, why?”

The woman doesn’t answer and instead gives him a pat on the cheek, making him groan as he also nudges his spirit animal away from his plate.

“Fine, be stingy with the gossip. And I’m having a party whether they like it or not.”

“Quite rude of you, making decisions without the input of your housemates.” Ravus snips from behind his sister.

“And here I was, going to invite you to come.”

“Please, I have more important things to do than play childish games with a bunch of drunks dressed as a sexy _‘whatever thing’_ is popular this year.”

“Well fine then, stay home with your dozen cats and watch the weather channel while us cool people party.” Noct snaps and turns back to his friends.

“You going to have a theme? Could see a Royal one, you being a King in the past and all.” Nyx asks as he tosses a piece of burger to a begging Carbuncle.

“Nah, that just limits people’s creativity. Plus I think it’ll cause my roomies to have one of those war flashbacks and revert back to their old ways. I just managed to break them of bowing to me a bit ago.”

“Speaking of break, I think the blind one is about ready to break the nose of the big one.”

Noct sucks in a breath and looks over at them, finding the two chest to chest with Ignis’ fist balled into the front of Gladio’s coat and both men screaming in each others' face. Poor Prompto looks about ready to burst into tears by this. 

“Are they still arguing about me?” Noct asks turning to his psychic friend.

“Not really, more about the old you and them now.” she says and frowns. “It’s not very pleasant.” 

The teen groans deeply and sets his plate down, not caring when Carbuncle knocks it over and thieves his burger, and heads out onto the lawn where he searches around.

“Noct what are you doing?” Crowe asks with concern as she eyes the grinning teen.

“Making them stop fighting by joining together to scold me.” 

And with that, the teen leaps onto the banister and begins to climb up a column to where he reaches the roof. He zips from one end to the other, preparing to leap onto a branch of the willow but stops and looks around expectantly, not finding any of them there. Noct lets out a low growl and leaps onto the branch petulantly, shimmying his way across until he can sit. The teen looks to the three ghosts and to his shock, they still are in the midst of their argument and have not noticed him yet. He sighs and begins moving again, navigating around the trunk to where he now faces the forest and sits, once again being ignored. Noct frowns and kicks his feet back and forth, giving a quick waive to his worried friends, before glancing down at the three. Still fighting. He shakes his head, wondering just what the hell has them so irate with one another. But his train of thought is interrupted when a soft rumble from the distance rips through the air and a droplet of water hits his cheek.

“Noct!? Please come back down, I’m starting to sense something malevolent!” Luna calls to the teen, looking to him from the porch with a bit of fright in her eyes before turning to the forest with horror. 

Noctis looks over too, catching a faint silhouette of a figure that motions for him to come hither, his eyes glaze over and he crawls over to the end where the branch begins to buckle under his weight. He doesn’t notice the ghosts have stopped and turned to the forest before panicking, ordering the bunch into the house. Prompto quickly appears behind the teen, wrapping his arms around his waist and floating him back down safely. Before he can be handed off to one of his friends though, he breaks free and bolts to the forest.

“Noctis!”

He ignores the frantic calls for him, running through the forest as a thick fog begins to encompass the area. Finally he stops and comes to, rubbing at his face and groaning before looking around. The fog is too thick to see where he is at and the area is silent save for the rain pelting against the surrounding area. Noctis begins to panic, heart racing as he tries to make his way around, wondering just what he is to do and how this could've happened. He knows the three were preoccupied with their tift, but surely they could have sensed something was amiss. Oh they were so going to get a lecture for this, even though Luna is probably already dishing one out. He hopes they are all right. A branch snaps, making the teen gasp and turn defensively towards where the noise came from, but finds nothing and he begins to tremble even more as tears swell in his eyes.

“Guys? Are you there?” he whimpers out. 

He sees a mass form in the fog, his heart beginning to race as he hopes its one of the ghosts. But his hope is dashed as a hellish being emerges, shredded robes billowing in the light wind that is blowing and bony fingers reaching out to point at him before it motions to him. It was the form from before, then one he saw prior to his venture to the roof the night he jumped, the one the three have been trying to defeat for decades. Noctis steps back and collides with a tree, unable to move any further as he stares into its red eyes. 

_“come child, come join me, be free from your mortal flesh”_

“No!” Noctis yells at the creature as he regains himself. 

_“you have much potential, much power, join me, join with us”_

The teen turns away as the thing goes to grab his face, preparing to bolt when he feels something puncture his side. He looks down and sees the tip of its scythe stuck into him, blood pooling forth like a waterfall. Noctis goes into fight mode and slams forward into the creature, knocking it away to where he can escape. His side is burning terribly and his vision is beginning to blur as he ambles onward, hoping and praying someone saves him. He feels something sharp zip across his thigh but he keeps going even as another slice cuts into him from some unseen force. Then, the teen crashes to the ground as a hand grips his leg tightly, looking back in fright at the skeleton that slips from the ground. He tries to kick it away but it holds firm, then the teen freezes from feeling something creeping forth behind him. He slowly turns, coming face to face with a large red eye swathed by a metal helmet until the thing spews forth from the ground further with a growl. Tears pool from the teen’s eyes as he looks upon the armored behemoth before him, it hoisting a large flaming sword up and over its body. Noctis lets out a blood-curdling scream as the sword is slammed downed, only to be stopped by another large sword. 

“Gladio!” the teen cries out, both from joy and shock, and then sees Carbuncle appear next to him. 

The large ghost lets out a mighty roar and shoves the daemon back, knocking it over to where he can pounce upon it and wedge his blade through the eye hole. The thing melts into nothingness with a growl and Gladio sets his sights on the skeleton, the creature releasing the teen to lunge at him only to get struck down. The former Shield rushes to the boy’s side, scooping him into his strong arms and holding him protectively. 

_“I’m sorry, I should have noticed something was afoot sooner.”_

“I’ll scold you later.” Noct says, forcing a smile despite the pain. “Let’s just get out of here first.”

Gladio smiles with a touch of sullen before pressing a soft kiss to his clammy forehead before he scoops the teen up. But as he stands, multiple daemons emerge from the ground and surround them, hissing and laughing vehemently as the Necromancer moves to the front of them. 

_“I won’t let you have him!”_ Gladio snarls, holding the teen close as he readies his blade.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for being such a slow-ass with updates, I'm hoping once I finish up my current mod my school work will slow down. Thank you all again! :D

Gladio looks around at the cluster of Daemons surrounding them, trying to remain calm as he formulates a plan in his head. He looks down at Carbuncle, the little creature growling at a goblin that took a step forward, and gets an idea.

 _“You think you can lead me to that sacred area?”_ he asks. 

Carbuncle takes a quick glance back at him and seemingly nods at him. The large ghost carefully and cautiously kneels down, removing his jacket and the band around his waist. He wraps the teen up snuggly in his large garment before tethering him to his front and standing up with him.

 _“Hey kid, stay with me now and hold on.”_ Gladio says and takes up his sword again.

“Okay.” Noct says weakly and wraps his arms around Gladio’s neck.

_“give the child to us, he belongs with us, if you don’t, we will add you to our numbers”_

Gladio glares at the daemon and steels himself before bolting and cutting down a Hobgoblin in his path as he follows Carbuncle. More and more daemons spew forth to attack him, while also attempting to grab the little creature as it runs, but they are struck down with precise strikes of Gladio’s sword and nimble doges from Carbuncle. But as they continue on it begins to become harder for the ghost, his powers greatly draining. A Yojimbo manifests and swings its sword at him, the ghost barely blocking the attack and shoving the daemon down then plunges his sword into its middle. Gladio finally sees the clearing come into sight and pushes himself even more, taking a chance by putting his sword away so as to not slow himself down. He makes it to the sacred grounds just in time as a Bomb appears aside of him and explodes, thankfully not catching the teen in its blast. He drops to the ground and carefully unstraps the teen, laying him on the ground and looking on in fear as the young man appears lifeless.

 _“Noct?”_ Gladio says and reaches a shaky hand out to touch his face, patting his cheek and not getting a response. _“No, gods, no. Noct, please.”_ He begins to panic and jostles the teen trying to rouse him. 

There's a soft whimper and the teen crinkles his face before nestling down into the large jacket swaddling him. Gladio lets out a sigh of relief and pulls the smaller man into a tight embrace, cradling him in his arms and kissing the top of his head. 

“Gladio, body hurts.” Noctis mumbles out. 

The ghost shuffles the teen and checks on his wounds, finding them still gushing and soaking his clothing. Gladio furrows his brows and frowns deeply, not knowing what to do for the teen. He looks up at the little fox creature, seeing it sniffing about the ground as if searching for something.

 _“Hey,”_ he calls out and gets it attention. _“you can’t by chance, like, make a potion or something appear? Or something to stop the bleeding?”_ Carbuncle twitches his nose and continues searching about, making Gladio sigh deeply. _“Guess not, dammit.”_

Gladio checks on Noct again, finding him becoming even more pale and sweaty as his breathing becomes labored. The larger man cringes, feeling guilty and at a loss. What could he do? He wouldn’t be able to make it safely back to the house, his energy is almost depleted as is. But if left like this, Noctis will die from blood loss, or even if he does somehow survive the wound will fester and become infected leading to more trouble since the teen is already fighting off a minor illness. This can’t be it, he can’t lose the teen like this, he can’t lose another person he cares about. Gladio hears a strange noise and looks over at Carbuncle, finding the little fox creature digging at the ground frantically. 

_“Hey, what are you doing?”_ he says as he stands and carries the teen over. _“Something there?”_

Gladio sets the teen down and shushes him softly as he begins to whine from the loss of contact, then turns to Carbuncle and watches as he continues to dig. Gladio purses his lips slightly and begins to help pull the earth away until they get about a foot down when a tiny spring begins to seep up and fill the hole. Gladio gasps when he looks to the water, finding that despite all the loose dirt, it is crystal clear and shimmers slightly. He looks to the small animal, finding it looking quite pleased with itself before it turns to Noctis then back to the glimmering puddle.

 _“This will help? Like a potion would?”_ he asks and gets a nod, making him smile with relief and pat the creature on its head. _“Thank you.”_ Gladio dips his hand into the water and scoops some up carefully, then uses his other to tip Noctis’ head up and pour the water into his mouth. The younger man immediately coughs and gasps, most of the water spilling back out and making the specter feel horrible. _“Sorry, sorry, gods I just keep messing up.”_

He waits for a couple seconds and retries again, this time warning the teen before having him drink. Gladio rechecks the wounds again, finding the smaller gashes to have closed up while the larger ones and the puncture are slowly coagulating. He lets out a deep and exhausted sigh of relief before leaning down to press a gentle kiss to the teen’s forehead, then bundling him up in his jacket. He smiles but then quickly snaps around defensively as he finds the sacred grounds to have become surrounded by hissing daemons with the Necromancer staring directly at him. 

_“give him to us and join our ranks, you will not be able to keep him safe forever”_

_“I will keep him safe and I will not be swayed by you!”_

_“you already failed before, you are a weak man, a failure, selfish”_

_“Shut up!”_ he snaps, anger boiling over and his body begins to tremble, but then he feels a hand softly hold his pulling his attention away. Gladio looks down, seeing Noctis stare up at him with his bleary eyes and a gentle smile on his lips. _“Noct?”_

“Come cuddle, Gladio.” the teen mumbles out and closes his eyes, nestling down into the large jacket. “Comfy.”

Gladio chuckles to himself softly before resituating himself down next to the boy, pulling him into a tight embrace and tucking him under his chin. The cackling and sneers from the daemons continue to plague him until Carbuncle rests his head over the ghosts ear, managing to stifle the noise as he finally slips off into a rejuvenating deep slumber. Dawn breaks through the trees and a sense of calm comes over the area as Noct slowly opens his eyes, finding himself in a position he’s sadly becoming all too used to. His body aches terribly and feels as though it's on fire, he’s sleeping inside the hallowed grounds in the middle of the daemon-infested creepy ass forest, and he’s bound up in Gladio’s huge jacket with the ghost cuddling him. The last part is great, the rest, not so much. He attempts to wriggle free a bit but the man’s hold on him is like a vice.

“Gladio?” he mumbles out, voice crackly and strained sounding. 

The ghost doesn’t awaken even as Noct fidgets around against him, so he tilts his head and nuzzles under the man’s chin before pressing kisses to him. This gets the ghost to begin moving around so Noct continues annoying him until Gladio grumbles and snatches the teen’s face, him giggling as amber eyes look down at him with annoyance before going soft.

 _“I see you’re feeling better, that’s great.”_ he says and moves himself to sit up, allowing the teen to be able to move. 

“What the hell all happened? All I really remember was being up in the willow then being cornered by that ugly bastard thing and you saving me from that huge thing.”

 _“You were tricked again by the Necromancer.”_ he says and frowns. _“I’m sorry, I should have been more alert and protected you._ ” 

Noct looks down at his side as Gladio carefully lifts his shirt, revealing a dark bruise on the teen’s skin where the wound once was. “It’s healed up already.”

 _“Your little friend sniffed out a small spring that has curative properties.”_ Gladio says and then looks around. _“Hmm? He’s not here anymore.”_

“He may have gone back to the house to check on or get the others.” Noct says and looks at the puddle, grimacing. “Eww, you gave me dirty ground water?”

 _“Quit your whining, a little dirt never hurt anyone.”_

“You sound like my old neighbor.” Noct says with a soft smile. “So what makes this water so special?”

 _“You were told about Noctis’ powers from the crystal, well this area holds that power too so whatever is here becomes embedded with magic.”_ he tells him and then notices the grin forming on the teen’s face. _“No you are not turning this into some quick money scheme.”_

“Geez, ruin all of my fun.” Noctis snickers. “But I was actually thinking that maybe this can help with our goal of purifying the area. Like maybe somehow get it to spread further.”

 _“It’s a possibility, don’t know how though.”_

“Luna will, she’s really smart.” the teen says happily but then frowns. “I hope her and the others are okay.”

“I’m sure they are, Prompto and Ignis are with them. They wouldn’t let your friends get hurt.” Gladio assures him and ruffles the smaller man’s hair.

Noct snuggles into Gladio’s large hand, his cheeks flushing and heart racing, but then he remembers something from the day prior that was bothering him and decides to ask. “What were you and Iggy fighting about exactly?”

Gladio cringes and looks away. _“It’s, complicated.”_

“Luna said it was somewhat about me, did he find out about us?”

_“Not exactly. He’s worried still like we all were about you getting too overly attached to us and said I’m making it worse by allowing you to climb all over me and give in to your demands constantly.”_

“And that was what caused you two to almost have a throw down in the backyard?”

 _“No, I called him a hypocrite, said he allowed the old Noct to get away with way worse shit when he was supposed to be guiding him to becoming a respectable King and adult.”_ Gladio tells him and then gnaws on his lower lip. _“There were some other personal potshots exchanged too, things you wouldn’t understand or it’d take forever to explain.”_

“Did you two fight like this before?”

 _“We had our disagreements, but nothing like this.”_

The teen frowns, feeling terrible he’s causing the two of them to fight again, but his despair is washed away when he’s snatched up into Gladio’s strong arms and is tickled relentlessly. The teen giggles jovially until the attack stops where he sighs and rests against the specter. 

“Thank you again for saving me, Gladio.”

 _“Welcome kid.”_ he says and then snickers when the teen begins giving him a playfull look. _“Alright, brat.”_

Gladio gives in and places a quick kiss to his lips, then one to his forehead and the tip of his nose making Noctis chuckle.

“Noct!? Noctis!?” a concerned voice calls out.

The teen hops up with excitement. “That’s Nyx. Over here!” he calls out excitedly.

Noct watches as both Nyx and Libertus come into view as they follow after Carbuncle, the little creature bounding over to the youth and hopping into his arms. 

The older man rushes over and pulls the teen into a hug. “Oh man, you had us so damn worried kid.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“You better be, running off like that. Luna was so distraught she barely slept all last night. Kept looking out the window in between searching through all those books waiting for you to come back. Probably didn’t help she could see whatever was coming from the forest, all she said was it was something greatly evil and harrowing to behold.”

“So you guys are all right?”

“A little shaken but we’re holding up.” Libertus says and pats the teen on his shoulder. “We should get ya back before Luna and your Mom Ghost worry themselves further into exhaustion.” 

This makes Noct wince. “Are they that bad?”

“Well Luna isn’t much anymore, the other-” Nyx begins and looks to the large ghost. “well let's just say he’s a bit ornery at the moment, even snapped at the blonde. Poor thing looks like a kicked puppy.”

Gladio sighs deeply and stands, retrieving his coat as he begins to walk from the area. _“Well I should probably go first, use myself as bait to lure him away, get him to calm down before he nags at you.”_

“Oh my hero.” the teen chuckles and gets a grin from the ghost before he vanishes. Noctis snickers and shakes his head then glares at the two grinning men. “The hell’s up with you two?”

“How are you able to still walk?”

Noct turns beat red and gawks at them before hiding his face in his hands as they start to laugh.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Got the next part done, nothing too much, just some bantering and teasing at Noct's expense. :D

As the men make their way back to the teen’s house while following Carbuncle, Noctis finds himself becoming more and more frustrated by his friend’s unrelenting teasing. He finally snaps at the latest question, the two men guffawing loudly at his reddened face and even the little fox creature looks back with what looks like a smirk. 

“If I so much as find one damn condom in my house, I will fill it with something nasty, poke a tiny hole into it, and toss it into your clothing bag!” he snaps and folds his arms.

“Oh come on Noct, just teasing ya.” Nyx snorts and gives the teen a light nudge. “Besides, it’d be a waste to buy condoms that you’d never be able to use anyway.”

“Well yeah, I’m alive and he’s a ghost so sex would be almost impossible.”

Nyx grins. “I’d say it’s more due to not being able to find a size big enough if you could.” he says and puffs up his chest. “I mean, I have trouble finding my size unless I go to a specialty shop or order them off line.”

“Ugh, can we not discuss Gladio’s dick?” Noct groans and shakes his head as the two ignore him and take their discussion to a whole new level.

“Well if Noct were to take the lead in the bedroom, we’d be able to get a size that fits him.” Libertus teases and both of the older men laugh. “Since they do make extra small.” 

“Dude, that’d be like the time Luna’s pomeranian tried mounting my Bullmastiff.”

“I fucking hate you both.” Noctis hisses and runs ahead to get away from their taunts. 

He eventually breaches the forest line and comes back to his property, letting a deep sigh escape him as he sees both Luna and Crowe safe and sound on the porch. Noctis hops the fence and trots over, getting pounced by the two woman halfway across the yard.

“Thank the gods you are alright.” Luna says and hugs the teen tighter. “You scared us half to death.”

“I’m sorry.” he says and pouts as the older woman cups his face. “Are you all okay?”

“Yeah, your other two ghosts kept us safe as we hunkered down inside the house.” Crowe tells him.

Noctis bites at his lower lip remembering what was said about the other ghosts. “Where are they?”

“Upstairs.”

“Are they fighting?”

“They were, but they have settled down. I think you should go up and talk with them.” Luna says and holds out the glasses and earpiece.

Noctis gives a nod and heads into the house after taking the items, bypassing a scowling Ravus as he makes his way up the stairs. He heads down the hall and enters the last room where he finds the three specters. 

“Hey, I-” He get’s cut off as arms wrap around him tightly. “Iggy.”

_“Gods, you had me so worried. I don’t know what I’d do if you were killed and I could have been prevented it. I’m so sorry Noctis.”_

“It’s okay, Gladio came to save me and you and Prompto kept my friends safe.” Noct says and gives a warm smile to the blonde who gives a small one back. “Plus I still have a couple of those lives to spare.” he says, deciding to add a bit of humor to the situation.

Ignis pulls away and frowns deeply at the teen, looking about ready to burst into tears. He holds Noctis’ cheeks in his hand softly and sighs. _“Please don’t joke about this, you dying at the daemons’ hands after everything that has happened is the worst thing imaginable.”_

“I’m sorry.” 

_“Come on Noct, we want to make sure you’re safe and can live peacefully.”_ Prompto says and frowns. _“It’s what you deserve, you know, after everything the old you went through. But every time things seem to be on the up and up, you get hurt because we couldn’t protect you.”_

Noctis glowers slightly. He understands where they are coming from and it makes a bit more sense to him why Ignis has been acting the way he has. Noct was given a second chance to have a happy life and the three want to make sure he does, but with the daemons prowling about it makes it difficult. Then there's his attachment to them, specifically Gladio, and the issues that may arise if and when they leave. He can admit that he’d be greatly heartbroken with them gone but he’s working on overcoming that little by little, and he wants to enjoy his time with them while it lasts. After more apologies and hugs are passed around, the foursome head downstairs to meet up with the teen’s friends and discuss what the blonde psychic has discovered from her readings of the original owner’s journals plus about the magical puddle at the sacred grounds. 

_“Ooh, so can we like somehow turn that puddle into a huge geyser and have it go ‘splish’ all over the area and maybe it will work as a holy water to purify the land? Then the daemons will be all **‘hisss, you have defeated us mighty warriors, hisss’** and then melt into nothing?”_ Prompto chatters excitedly as he levitates happily in the air.

The others all look to him stupefied, making the blonde frown and float back down to his seat only to perk back up when Luna considers what he said. 

“While I don’t believe it’ll be possible to get the water to spread across the acres, we could see about using it on a small scale here, possibly bless the house.” she says and picks up one of the journals. “But I do agree with the original owner in believing that the hallowed area holds the key to defeating them and if we can figure out a way to unlock its power, we can stop them once and for all.”

“Any idea how though?” Noct asks.

“No. But the Professor mentions some writs held at museums in Ulwaat and Vogliupe. I can check the one in Ulwaat when I go visit my mother next week and see what it says. Hopefully, it will shed some more light on things.”

“Hmm, but if not, how will we check the one in Vogliupe? We don’t know anyone from there.” Nyx says and then notices the glint in his girlfriend's eyes as she looks to her disgruntled brother. “Got something in mind?”

“I am not dealing with those two, she is insufferable and he is a twat.” Ravus snaps and shakes his head. 

“Who are they?” Noct asks curiously.

“Acquaintances of my brother’s from Niflheim.”

Prompto begins to beam brightly. _“Oh oh! Is it Aranea!?”_

“Actually,” Ravus begins and looks slightly taken aback. “yes.”

_“Ah, Miss Highwind. She was a great ally after she stopped being our enemy.”_ Ignis says with a bit of nostalgia.

_“Yeah, she was one hell of a lady.”_ Gladio adds in, a grin forming on his face that so does not make Noctis feel jealous. 

_“So another person from our time reborn.”_ Prompto says with a smile. _“So who's the dude?”_

“Loqi.” 

The three ghost grimace in unison, eliciting a rare smile from Ravus.

_“So there are others who were reborn during this era, interesting. I wonder who else is around.”_ Ignis muses.

“Well, throw out some names, see if we recognize them.” Crowe says.

_“Oh I know, I know. Cindy! She was the beautiful goddess of Hammerhead.”_ Prompto swoons.

“Oh yeah, her and her Grandfather own a large car manufacturing company, one of the best around. They also sponsor the races that take place in Duscae.” Libertus informs them.

_“Wow, that’s awesome.”_ Prompto beams. _“What about Vyv, that name ring a bell?”_

“Yeah, he owns a magazine company, mostly gossip rags and scientific stuff.”

_“Hmm, who else?”_ the blonde ghost says and thinks before coming up with another. _“The Marshal! Cor!”_

The others shake their heads no, but Noctis perks up at the name. “I know him, he was my old neighbor.” he says and looks to Gladio. “The military guy.”

The large ghost recalls the teen’s story about his neighbor saving him after he tried to take his life, slightly frowning and then nodding. _“Yeah, I remember.”_

__

__

“Anyone else?” Nyx asks, looking at the three

The three ramble off a few more names; Wiz, Coctura, Dave, Dino, Sania, Holly, Takka, Weskham, and even Navyth is around which leads into an uproarious laugh when the ghosts discover that the legend of _‘Noct Gar’_ lives on to this day. But when the name Talcott is brought up, no one knows who that is, not even Noctis who does know Monica and Dustin from his stint in the hospital. Gladio quietly moves over to the large bay window, looking out with a slight bit of melancholy.

_“You okay Big Guy?”_ Prompto asks with a look of worry on his face.

_“Yeah.”_ he grunts out and doesn’t elaborate any further despite his companions knowing what is causing him issue.

_“Your sister, Iris, you’re wondering about her? I’m sure she was also reincarnated like all the others, she just may be too young for them to be acquainted with.”_

Gladio sighs. _“Yeah, probably. Just hope she’s having a good life if she was.”_

“Hey,” Nyx says, thinking of something. “why don’t we have Luna do a reading, see if she can locate her.”

“That only works for the living you dork.” Crowe snorts and shakes her head. “It’d probably be easier to just search the name Iris online and look for girls who fit the description. And if you do happen to find her and she’s your age, you should become friends with her, so your ghosty won’t be sad.”

“Yeah, then invite her over to for the Nocturne party you’re throwing and introduce them, plus you’ll have someone your age to hang with while us adults get drunk and pass out.” Libertus says and then goes still as he feels the tension in the air rise. “Oh, Shit.

_“Party?”_ Ignis begins to scowl as he turns himself towards the teen. _“Noct?”_

“Surprise?” the teen says and grins sheepishly as the other two ghost look at him crossly.


	20. Chapter 20

The teen sits on his couch, head down as he fiddles with the hem of his shirt and looking like an admonished child with the three ghost towering over him, giving him disapproving looks. His friends have left, giving him well wishes and pitying looks before leaving, while also whispering to give them a call if the party does still go on and what they should bring. But for right now, he must deal with his roommates’ ire. He glances up and tries to pout but quickly looks back down as they continue to scowl.

He finally decides to speak and again attempts to pout. “I’m sorry, I should have asked first.”

 _“Yes, you should have.”_ Ignis begins and shakes his head. _“Really Noct, looking to throw a huge party here with potential strangers?”_

“They won’t be all strangers, and the others are friends of my friends.” he says and fidgets around.

 _“It doesn’t matter, you don’t know these people.”_ Ignis points out. 

_“Yeah, and they may bring others who may want to try and sacrifice you.”_ Prompto adds in and cringes, harkening back to the intruders.

“But you guys will notice if anything is going awry without anyone seeing you. You’ll be like invisible ninja police stalking from the shadows, watching for any nefarious misdeeds.” he says and grins only to return to sulking as the three continue to scowl at him.

 _“It’s not that simple, Noct. That day causes some weird shit to happen.”_ Prompto tells him and fiddles with his fingers.

“Like what?”

_“Just, weird things okay? It makes us all out of sorts.”_

Noctis bites his lip as a thought pops into his head, mildly recalling the conversation between Gladio and Prompto. “Does that day like, mean something to you guys.”

The three become slightly melancholy, shrinking away from the teen. He looks between the three and cocks his head to the side, wondering just what it could be before Gladio breaks his silence with a sigh.

 _“It’s the day the King of Light sacrificed himself, and when the three of us died.”_

“Oh, oh god I’m sorry. I had no idea.” 

_“We still have trouble on that day, feeling greatly depressed, sometimes angry at ourselves and the situation we are stuck in.”_ Ignis says and lowers his head.

“So does anything happen here? Like, do the daemons get really bad or something?”

 _“No, they actually don’t.”_ Gladio says and strokes his chin. _“That was one of the weirdest things, they never manifest on that day.”_

“So I don’t have to worry about them busting in my house, ransacking it, eating all my food, leaving crude messages on my walls, taking pictures of their junk with my phone, or having orgies on my tabletop?” 

Ignis facepalms. _”I am banning you from those weird sites you prowl at night when you should be sleeping. I feel they are starting to warp your mind.”_

Noctis grumps but then thinks of something. “What about you three, does something happen to you all despite feeling down?”

The ghosts flinch a bit, before looking at each other and nodding.

 _“Yeah.”_ Prompto says and fiddles with his fingers again.

“And that’d be?”

 _“We umm,”_ Gladio begins and knits his brows. _“we return to the living, from dusk until dawn the next day.”_

Noct stares in shock at them, his brain slowly processing what he was just told. “You, return to the living? As in flesh and blood living?” he says and gets a nod. A smile creeps across the teen’s lips before he squeals with delight. “That’s so awesome! The four of us can leave the house and go do things around town for real then! Ooh, you can tell me what everything once was, I can take you to this super cool restaurant and other awesome stuff! Oh, oh, we can even dress up in matching costumes, go as a theme!”

The three ghost stare flabbergasted at the excited boy, before letting chuckles escape them which makes him annoyed. They stop and apologize, finding his response to their admission to be comical but oh so him. He asks them if this always happened to them, finding it did and some years were harder to deal with than others. And even though they could walk amongst the living, they never left the property, being too fearful of what may happen or what they may see. When the Professor was alive, he chose to do some experiments on them, like taking their blood and other samples, only to find that they would dissolve into nothing once the sun rose the next day. They can also eat and drink during that time, even feel pain. But during the times when the house was vacant, it was tough since no food was available and they’d start feeling a slight pain from that so they’d just exhaust themselves before sunset and slumber wherever they could effectively hide themselves.

“You’re not going to do that this year, are you? I want to spend it with you guys. We don't even have to go as far as that restaurant, maybe just walk around the block so I can get candy and meet people?”

 _“We’ll think about.”_ Ignis says and then smiles softly. _“And maybe if you behave yourself and do all of your work, we’ll consider your party too.”_

“All right! You guys are awesome!” the teen cheers.

Things settle down between them eventually with Ignis scuttling about the kitchen making a meal, Prompto viewing the photos taken the past few days, and Gladio standing out by the fish pond. Noct joins him, nudging up against the older man and looking at the kois as they swim about and beg for food despite having just been fed. 

_“How's your side?”_

“It’s still a bit sore, but it could be way worse if it wasn’t for you and Carbuncle.” he says and snakes his arm around the other man’s. The teen begins to blush and bite his lip, before looking up at the large ghost in question. “Hey Gladio, if I can’t throw the party or even budge Ignis from the house, could you and I maybe go on a date?”

Gladio turns a deep shade of red and grunts, looking down at the ground before turning to look away. _”We’ll see.”_

“Aww, come on. It’ll be fun. There are clubs that are open all night, we can go dancing, get some food, you can have a drink or two, then we can walk around looking at all the decorations, and have a kiss under the full moon. It’ll be fun.”

 _“Again, we’ll see.”_ Gladio says despite the soft smile on his lips.

Noctis chuckles softly and releases his hold on the ghost to head back inside since he is getting a bit chilly now. He stops and looks to the window ledge, finding Carbuncle snoozing away there. But he then sees the little fox peek an eye open and flops onto it’s back, stubby legs pulled up to its chest as its tail begins to thump against the sill. 

“Aww, you want belly scratches? Okay.” he snickers and scratches his belly, getting an even faster tail wag. His phone then vibrates, with him glancing at the device and snorting.

 _“Who is it?”_ Prompto asks while leaning over the top of the teen and trying to sneak a peek. 

“Nyx, he was letting me know they arrived back safely and making sure I wasn’t crying to badly from you three scolding me.” 

_“It’s good to know they made it safe and sound. Do thank them for being such wonderful guests. Maybe we should send a gift basket.”_ Ignis suggests as he stirs the stew he is making. 

This earns him an eye roll from the teen before he returns poking about at Carbuncle. But the creature quickly sits up, startling Noct, and stares at the front door intently with his nose twitching. At the same time, Gladio phases through the wall, looking slightly concerned as he looks at the three others.

_“A woman with a black suitcase was just dropped off by a taxi. She looks really angry.”_

“What do you mean?” Noctis asks curiously.

A knock on the door catches their attention, with the three ghosts disappearing quickly leaving Noct and Carbuncle alone before Ignis quickly pops back in to shut the stove off. The little fox creature prances over to the door, giving a quick sniff before his tail wags happily and he paws at the wood. Noctis makes his way over slowly, feeling slightly apprehensive as to what he is going to find on the other end. He looks through the peephole and gasps, quickly unlocking the door and opening it to his newest, albeit surprise guest. 

There stands a woman, dressed in a large overcoat, hat and glasses, a suitcase by her side and her face morphing into a mix of joy and sadness.

“Hello, Noctis.”

“Hey, Mom.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update, Gladnoct week killed my brain, school and work ramped up, and I fell into a terrible depression which has caused me to become lax with other fics I'm doing. Sorry again. :C

The teen smiles fondly at his mother, her wearing a similar expression as she pulls him into a tight embrace and rubs his back. 

“It’s so good to see you Noctis.” his mother says and releases him, cupping his face and giving him a once over. “Your hair.”

“Yeah, I wanted to try something new.”

The woman smiles and nods approvingly. “It suits you.”

Noct lets out a soft chuckle before stepping back, turning to the side and gesturing to the inside. “Welcome to my home.” 

His mother picks up her bag and steps inside, looking around in amazement. “It’s beautiful in here, and so clean.” 

Noctis chuckles and takes her bag, setting it over by the sofa. “Yeah, I’ve grown up a lot since I moved out.” 

He wasn’t completely lying, while Ignis did straighten things up for him, Noct had begun to clean up on his own too. But as he watches his mother continue to poke around the area, he decides it’s time to call out the elephant in the room.

“You finally left him.”

She looks at him with grief. “Yes. I’m moving across the city to stay with your grandmother until I can get on my feet. I figured it would be a good time to come visit with you for a couple days. And no I won’t move in here with you.” she says, cutting him off as he goes to speak. “You are a grown man in need of your own space.”

Noctis frowns slightly. While he would love nothing more than for his mother to stay with him without his father’s wrath causing hurt feelings, he did move out to gain his independence. Plus he’s not sure how his mother would react to his _‘roommates’_. And, most of all, the daemons. He watches as his mother continues her walk around, chuckling to himself as she looks taken aback by the pot on the stove, rushing over to check on it.

“Noctis, are you actually cooking something that isn’t microwavable?” 

“Yeah, I’m starting to learn more to cook for myself.” he lies and offers a grin.

His mother lifts the lid off and picks up the spoon to stir the stew, then bringing it to her lips to taste it. “Hmm, not bad, needs a bit more pepper though.” she says and begins to open cabinets.

But as she goes to open the correct one, she finds it won’t budge, struggling stubbornly before huffing and shaking her head. Noctis forces down a chuckle that almost escapes him, knowing full well a very spiteful ghost was the cause of the stuck cabinet. He shows his mother around the rest of the house, her looking around questioningly and with concern at times before shaking her head. He then takes her out back to show her the koi pond, but her attention only lasts a few seconds on them when something else catches her eyes and she lets out a squeal.

“Oh my goodness!” She zips over by the willow’s base, scooping up the snoozing Carbuncle into her arms and stroking his fur. “Aww, I wish I knew you had a little one, I could have made him sweaters.”

“Mom, he’s not a baby.” he says and groans as she babbles to the little creature, it wagging its tail happily. 

They return inside and continue to talk, with Noct telling her about Luna and the others visit and then about how much better he is doing in his classes. His mother finally gives in after he presses her more, finding out the horrible truth of what had finally been the last straw. His drinking had gotten worse and he hit her during a heated argument. Noctis wraps his arms around his mother’s slim frame, pulling her into a tight embrace as she breaks down, apologizing to him for not doing more to stand up for him or keep him safe. But he tells her he’s not upset, knowing she did all that she could. 

The two eventually settle in on the couch after eating dinner, watching an old movie like they would when Noct was younger, his head rested on his mother’s lap as she would softly rub his back. He yawns softly and catches a quick glint out the corner of his eye, realizing the camera over on the window sill had gone off. Thankfully, his mother hadn’t really noticed, just crinkling her brow and shaking her head. Mother and son decide to turn in for the night, wishing each other sweet dreams and heading into their rooms. But not before his mother scurries into his room to snatch up Carbuncle and cuddle with him as she heads into the guest room. Noct flops down onto his bed, feeling an exhilarating rush through his body. Not only had his friends came to visit him, now his mother was here. He felt happy. The glasses and earpiece are tossed onto his chest, with multiple pokes meeting his sides until he puts them on, finding the three ghosts standing at the foot of his bed. 

_“So, your mom’s visiting now.”_ Prompto says and purses his lips. _“You gonna tell her about us or are we banished?”_

Noctis frowns. “Yeah, sorry. I don’t think she’ll be as accepting of you three like Luna and the others were.”

 _“Understandable.”_ Ignis says and then begins to fidget as Noct stares accusingly at him. _“What?”_

“You know what.”

_”My stew was perfect and in no way needed more seasoning. It would have ruined the flavor.”_

“Uh huh.” Noct snorts and crawls under his covers. “Well, she’s only here for a couple days so just lay low.”

 _“Sure thing, don’t want to cause problems.”_ Gladio says and then takes a serious expression. _”We’ll also make sure no harm comes to her. But we want you to know that if it does get bad, you are to put the hexes up, even if it stops us.”_

Noctis frowns at this, but he knows his mother’s safety is more important. “Okay, I will.”

_“Thankfully I’m not sensing any increase in aggression from them and it will be clear all week.”_

“That’s good.” Noctis yawns and removes his items, setting them on the nightstand and shutting off the light. “Night guys.” 

He snuggles down into his bed, feeling it dip down after a couple minutes and a mass wrapping around him. Noct rolls over and burrows himself into the invisible form, feeling his back rubbed tenderly.

 _“So that’s what Queen Aulea looks like in person, I only ever seen her in pictures. You got her looks, pretty little princess.”_ Gladio teases. 

“Jerk.”

Gladio chuckles softly and pulls the teen into a tighter embrace, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as he dozes off to sleep. Morning comes and Noctis shifts around as a small bit of light seeps in through his blinds, him rolling onto his side and away from the annoyance. He sighs peacefully, starting to slip back into a deep sleep when a load crash and scream startle him awake. He quickly kicks off his blankets and dashes from his room, hurdling himself down the stairs while also making sure he doesn’t fall. When he gets downstairs, he is greeted by the horror-filled face of his mother brandishing a broom.

“Mom wha-”

“Noctis! We need to leave, something freaky is in this house!” 

Even after he told them to lay low, they didn’t listen. But maybe he can play it off. “Mom, nothing is wrong here. You sure it wasn’t your imagination?”

His mother turns to him, her face going rigid. “I did not imagine dishes washing and drying themselves.” 

Noctis lets out a deep groan before slowly stepping towards his mother and attempting to pry the broom from her hand. But she instead drops the broom and grabs her son, holding him tightly as she begins to drag him towards the door.

“Mom stop.”

“I knew something strange was going on here. I kept seeing things out the corner of my eyes, I heard faint whispers, and when I got up last night to use the bathroom, I swore I saw someone by the window at the end of the hall. Oh I knew I should have grabbed you and the puppy up and fled.” 

“Mom, seriously, stop.”

“Noctis,” she says and grabs his face, looking into his eyes. “Have they touched you indecently? Tried to possess you?”

“Uh no.” he says and groans while shaking his head. “Didn’t I say to lay low?” 

“Noctis?”

The teen turns to his mother, forcing a smile on his face. “The umm, house, it has spirits that reside here.”

Aulea stares at her son without blinking before turning her head towards the kitchen, then back at her son. “Spirits?”

“Yeah, three of them, they’re my friends.”

The ghosts decide it’s time to show themselves, appearing all at once and making the woman gasp loudly and hold her son tighter. Prompto looks apologetically at them and waives his hand before turning away from the other two ghosts that scowl at him. 

“You see mom?” Noct says and smiles at his wide-eyed mother.

But the woman just mumbles something incoherent and begins to slip to the floor, Noctis grabbing her to stop her from hitting the floor hard. He lets out an annoyed huff and turns back to the three, scowling at them and shaking his head. Gladio steps forward and scoops the woman up gently, walking her over to the couch and laying her down with Noct crouching next to her. 

_“Sorry bro, not used to someone being up this early in the morning.”_ Prompto says, a deeply apologetic look on his face. _”I figured I could get a start on your chores for ya so you could spend more time with your mom.”_

“Ah, I see. Thank you though Prompto.” Noct says and sighs as he holds his mother’s hand.

Her eyes begin to flutter open after five minutes of being unconscious, looking at her son in confusion before she goes wide-eyed.

“Noctis?” 

“Hey uh, you okay?”

Aulea lets out a soft grunt and sits herself up, rubbing her face before looking around. She locks on to the three again, the color draining from her face as she begins to sway again.

“Hey hey, hold on, don’t pass out again.” Noct says and holds her upright.

“There are ghosts.”

“Yeah.”

“You live with ghosts.”

“Yes mom and they are very friendly. They also keep me safe.” he says and cups her face. “You remember when I ended up in the hospital after those people broke in? Well if it wasn’t for them I would have died.”

His mother purses her lips and looks shakily over at the ghosts before returning her gaze back to the teen. “Am I, dreaming?”

“No, you’re awake. I know it’s a lot to process and I really didn’t want you to find out, but these are my roommates.”

“Oh.” she says forcing a smile on her face. “That’s lovely dear.”

His mother tips over again unconscious, Noctis sighing and shaking his head as Carbuncle, who has little bows wrapped around his ears, hops up onto the couch and begins licking the woman’s face lovingly.


	22. Chapter 22

His mother has finally gotten over her fainting spell but is still slightly unnerved at the revelation of her son’s “housemates”. She forces a smile at him from across the table of the diner they are currently sitting in for lunch, Noct wanting to let her clear her head away from the house. 

“Well, I guess I should have expected something like this. Your great aunt used to say she was intune with spirits.” she says and purses her lips. “Although we believed it was more the ones that came from a bottle.” 

Noctis snorts a bit, remembering the kooky woman. He recalled liking her but she sadly passed away before he could really interact with her.

“So are you okay now?”

“I,” she begins and furrows her brows. “think so. It will still take some time getting used to the idea that there are ghosts in your house, but if they are keeping you safe and happy then I am okay.” 

The teen smiles at his mother as the waitress brings over their check, Noct going to reach for his wallet to pay but is stopped by Aulea.

“Let me.”

“Come on Mom, I can pay, let me treat you.”

“Oh hush, let your mama pay for this.” she says and opens up her purse. 

But then she lets out a chuckle and pokes at something inside the large bag that makes her son groan.

“Mom, you didn’t do what I think you did.”

She gives him a sheepish look. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Carbuncle.” Noct calls out and sure enough, the little creature pops his head out from the woman’s purse. “Oh my god Mom, seriously?”

“I couldn’t just leave him there all alone, what if the poor thing got hungry?”

“He has a food dish and the guys will feed him when I’m not around.” he says, remembering that he needs to pick more food up from the pet store.

“But look at this face.” she says holding him up, his eyes becoming slightly larger. “How can you say no to this?” 

“Ugh.” 

They leave the diner and head to the pet store, Noct considering making his mother wait in the car, but before he can even open his mouth she’s out and heading inside. The teen sighs and follows in after her, seeing her beeline towards the back and out of sight. He groans and lets her be, knowing it’s futile to stop her now and heads over to pick up some food along with cleaner for the fish pond. Noctis purchases the items and loads them into his car, but his mother hasn’t returned yet. So he heads inside to find her, hearing her voice at the other end and then the sound of her laughing. He makes his way towards her, stopping briefly to stare in mesmerized horror at the hairless guinea pig for sale, before resuming his journey and finding the woman has vanished from where he first heard her. He does eventually find her at the checkout counter being handed a large bag and looking glib.

“Oh, there you are. Thought I heard you talking to someone at the back.”

“There was a very nice young man with his dog I was talking to. I was telling him about you and he said he lives around here, is going to a prestigious school, and is around your age .” she says and gives her son a smile before handing him a paper. “Got his number for you. You should call him, make a new friend.”

“Mom, stop.” 

“But sweetheart, you need friends your age. Luna and the others are older than you and are leading their own lives, so just give it a shot.”

“Fine.” he groans and stuffs the paper into his pocket. 

Mother and son leave the pet store and make a quick trip to the grocery store since his mother wants to make him a nice home cooked meal like she used to; he just hopes it doesn’t cause a rivalry to start. The twosome return home and begin carrying in the bags, except for the one his mother bought from the pet store since she snatches that one out of his hands and hides it out of sight. But her glee slowly goes away as she silently watches the groceries begin to be put away by the ghosts, only beginning to move when her son stands beside her. 

“See, they’re really helpful.”

“I guess.” she says, frowning slightly before smiling as Carbuncle rubs up against her leg. 

The rest of the bags are taken care of and everything settles down until Noctis offers the glasses and earpiece to his mother, asking her if she would like to interact a bit with the ghosts or maybe just one to try and get used to them to make her stay easier. Aulea hesitates briefly but takes the items, Noctis helping her put them on and get them adjusted for her. She glowers and lets out a slight groan while becoming tense but then slowly begins to relax, looking with intrigue at whatever is going on. 

Eventually, she lets out a soft chuckle and smile. “No, he’s not allergic to them, it's more of a deep aversion.”

Noctis lets out a strained groan, knowing his little lie from before was just found out and he will probably pay for it later on. His mother laughs again and shakes her head, her face lighting up and looking as though she is enjoying herself. But her comfort causes a minor annoyance for her son since she now won’t give him the items back and instead sits with the ghosts, chatting and divulging embarrassing stories. Noctis sighs and heads out back to the koi pond, grabbing some feed and plopping down next to it. He sprinkles some of the food for them and snickers as they gobble it up in a frenzy before peeking out at him, begging for more which he gives in to. 

“There you are.” 

Noct looks back to see his mother standing on the porch, smiling at him. “Yeah, feeding the fishes.” he says and turns back to them as she walks over. “You seemed like you were enjoying yourself.”

“They’re not as bad as I initially thought they would be. It’s still a bit unnerving to think about but they do seem to truly care about you and that makes me feel a lot better.” she says and wraps her arms around her son’s back. “The blonde one is really funny, and kind of cute.”

“Mom, no.” 

Aulea titters and rests her head against the teen’s, pulling him into a tighter and loving hug. “My darling little boy. You struggled so much since the day you came into this world, but now you’re shaping up into a well-off young man. I am so proud of you.”

“Thanks, mom.” he says and wraps his arms around hers to tighten the embrace. But then he spots something bright red out the corner of his eye and looks over, face falling into annoyance. “Mom, why is Carbuncle wearing a hooded jacket?”

“So he doesn’t get cold.” she offers, a sweet grin forming on her face. 

“What else did you buy?”

Her smile grows even bigger. “A sweater, rain poncho, a couple shirts, pajamas, and some booties.”

“Mom, please don’t waste your money on any more stuff like that.”

“Oh hush, he looks adorable and he likes it.” she says as the little fox pounces into her lap, tail wagging happily. “See?”

Noctis purses his lips but then gives in and scratches under Carbuncles chin. He does look cute in the little garment. But then the creature goes stiff and stares at the forest, his nose begins twitching and his ears folding back. Noct begins to feel an uneasiness well inside him. It was still light out, with only a bit of overcast, and the ghosts had assured him they were not sensing anything dangerous. But then a light droplet of water hits the pond and proves otherwise, him snatching up Carbuncle and his mother’s hand, rushing them back into the house. He quickly grabs up his phone to check the radar, finding that a sudden pop-up storm has unexpectedly rolled into just his area, making him get a sinking feeling in his gut. Why does this shit have to happen whenever things start to go well for him? The three ghosts manifest themselves, looking quite unnerved but remain calm so as not to spook Noctis’ mother. Prompto and Ignis corral the woman into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner for her and Noct, while the teen and Gladio discuss the new turn of events.

_“Noct, we weren't lying when we said we didn’t sense anything.”_

“I know. Are you sensing anything now?”

_“Slightly, but it's not too bad. If anything I can hang out back, Prompto can keep guard of the porch with Ignis minding the inside in case anything gets passed.”_ he says and purses his lips. _“You should maybe have her stay with you in your room, tell her you want to watch a movie and cuddle with her.”_

“Yeah, don’t need to ask her twice to do that.” Noct agrees and then looks with concern at Gladio’s grimace. “Is there something else?”

_“Yes and you may not agree to it but, I think you should put a hex on your bedroom door.”_

“But that would-”

_“Us three wouldn’t be able to enter, I know. But if it means yours and your mother’s safety, then it needs to be done.”_

Noct furrows his brows. It made sense to do, assuring his mother would not be harmed, but to a selfish part of him doesn’t want to lose having the ghosts be able to enter into his room; or more specifically, Gladio. He then gets an idea, one that can alleviate his one concern while keeping his mother safe.

“Or I can move the television into the guestroom my mom is staying in and put a hex on that door. That way she’ll be safe and you guys won’t be blocked from my room.”

_“That will work too. All right, I’ll get to moving the television, you go get the notes and then start putting the hex on the door.”_

Noctis nods and the two stealthily slip away while Aulea is kept occupied. He quickly reviews over the notes Luna smartly made from the books he lent to her, reading what needs to be done to get the hex to work. While the larger, more intricate ones require a lot of planning and items, the smaller scale one only requires a little bit of blood and saying some weird jargon. So after slicing his finger open, he gets to drawing out the runes despite the irritation and stinging from his finger, which gets worse when it coagulates and he slices open another finger. Once finished, he sits back and recites the chant, stopping briefly while becoming awestruck when the markings begin to faintly glow. He resumes the spell and when it is complete, the hexes glow brightly before slowly disappearing. He dons the glasses and finds that the hexes are in place even though they are invisible to the naked eye. 

_“So it worked?”_ Gladio asks as he appears at the teen’s side after being downstairs to let the other two spirits know what had been done.

“Seems so.” 

Noct steps back to allow Gladio to move to the door, him placing his hand against the wood and giving it a few pushes. He then puts his arm up in front of his face and careens forward into the door with a grunt.

_“Can’t phase through.”_ he says and smiles back at the teen. _“This will help out a lot, now you don’t have to hide away in the crawl space.”_

“Mmm hmm.” he says but then winces and shakes his hand, the cuts beginning to sting again.

Gladio takes Noctis’ hand in his and presses kisses to his fingers. _“You should probably go clean these and bandage them.”_

“Yeah, I will.” Noct says and reaches his arms out. “But first I want a big hug since I won’t get to cuddle with you tonight.”

_“You’ll have your mommy to hold you, big baby.”_ Gladio snorts but gives in and scoops the smaller man up into a big hug. 

The loud crackling of thunder catches their attention, both men looking across the hall to the window that faces the forest, feeling slightly on edge for what possibly can come from the pop-up storm.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start off by saying thank you all so much for reading this fic, it means a lot. Plus this is the first fic I have gotten over 3,000 views on and I wanted to do something a little special for the occasion so I drew a [picture.](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/image/169862655226) Thank you all again! :D If anyone needs me, I'll be in my good old friend the dumpster, especially after this.

It was hard to hide his uneasiness from his mother, but he managed to do it without her suspecting a thing. Plus she was overjoyed when he said he wanted to cuddle and watch movies with her that night, she even had tears well in her eyes. The storm has been going on for a few hours, though it hasn’t gotten too bad, yet. So once it gets to after eight, Noctis grabs up some drinks and snacks before saying goodnight to the three tense ghost and scurries himself and his mother up to the now hex protected room. Noctis begins setting up the movie for them to watch but he stops when a giggle catches his attention, him sighing and turning to look at his mother.

“What did you do to him now?” 

Aulea smiles back at her son and presents him with Carbuncle wearing his new pajamas. “Isn’t he cute?”

“Yeah, sure.” Noctis sighs and takes Carbuncle into his arms, petting the little fox who snuggles down. He is kinda cute, in a pathetic sort of way. “I can only imagine how’ll you act with grandkids.”

“I thought you didn’t want children?” she says, a slight hopefulness sparking in her eyes.

“Well, not my own. But who knows, maybe if I find someone and settle down, we can adopt a couple kids.” 

“That would be nice, you’d make a great father.”

Noct smiles and snuggles into Carbuncle after the little creature licks his chin. He trots over and sits down on the bed, his mother joining him and the two cuddle up as the movie starts. A loud rumbling rattles the house making Noct purse his lips and glance over at the window next to the bed that faces his neighbors'. 

“I thought you got over your fear of storms?”

“Oh, yeah. I did, it’s just they can get really nasty around here sometimes and it messes up the willow. A branch fell over the fish pond the other week and I was afraid the fish were going to get hurt.”

“I know it's a nice tree and all, but maybe see about getting some of the branches cut down, or maybe even taking the whole tree down and planting something less large. Like a crabapple. I also think redbuds are small and a myrtle tree too. Maybe a magnolia tree? Oh, I think there is a type of maple that is small.”

“I don’t know, I like the old willow. But thanks for the suggestions.” 

They turn back to the movie, his mother eventually nodding off into a deep slumber while cradling her son in her arms, his head rested against her while still watching the T.V. A bright flash of light and loud crackling of thunder that is immediately followed by the power going out startles the teen, making him gasp before he is pulled into a tighter embrace by his mother, the woman gently rubbing his back. He begins to relax slowly, nestling down into the bed at the gentle touch of his mother on his back. 

“Why don’t you play some classical music on your phone, I used to do that when you were little.”

“Yeah, I remember. I really loved that.” he says and sets up his phone to play music.

Noct lets a soft sigh escape him and closes his eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep as a soothing harp melody plays. Later in the night, the storm is still roaring away as Noctis awakens, having the strongest urge to pee. And since this was the guest room, no bathroom was attached so he had to leave the safety of the room to venture down the hall. It’s not like he could just urinate in one of the empty soda bottles on the nightstand, he had to much respect for his mother to do that.

So he wiggles himself free from her hold, grabs up the glasses and earpiece, and quietly tiptoes to the door. He places the items on before opening the door cautiously and peeking around the dark hall, not seeing or hearing anything. Noct then begins his journey down the hall and towards the bathroom, freezing up at every little creak or crackle he hears. Eventually, the teen makes it safely to the bathroom to relieve himself but as he goes to return to his room he hears a strange noise from downstairs that stops him in his tracks.

Whether from stupidity, extreme curiosity, or some otherworldly pull Noctis begins to descend the stairs to the main area of the house while feeling a bone-deep cold chill. He steps off the staircase and looks around at the dark room, checking around for any signs of the ghosts. They’re not, but thankfully he doesn’t see any deamons either. But then his eyes lock onto the open back door. He cautiously moves over to the doorway, glancing outside before he goes to close it, but stops when he catches a glimpse of something odd. The three ghosts have suddenly appeared and are standing stiffly out in the middle of the backyard, staring intently at the forest. Noctis furrows his brows, wondering how he didn’t notice them before.

“Guys?” he calls out but they don’t move. “Why is this door wide open?” Still nothing. “All right, ignore me then.”

Noct begins closing the door but stops when there is movement from the three. A cold chill runs down the teen’s spine as he watches the specters turn unnaturally towards him, almost as though they are moving in slow motion. It was unsettling, but not as much as the crooked grins that slip onto their faces. Something was wrong, really wrong. Noct keeps his eyes fixed on the three, them still unmoving but continuing to stare at him as he slowly steps backwards further into the house. Until he backs into something. He chokes out a soft sob as thin bony fingers slide over his shoulders and down his chest, one of them then moving back up to grip around his face and wrapping around his mouth as the other disappears behind him. Noct attempts to scream as he feels an agonizing pressure on his back that gets even worse when something punctures through his skin all the way through his body and emerges from his stomach. It was a hand, a human hand. 

_“Shh.”_ a familiar voice says as they lean towards his ear. _“It’s all right, you’re going to join us now.”_

Tears trickle down Noct’s cheek when a soft and cold kiss is pressed against his cheek, feeling stubble scratch against his skin. His head is then roughly yanked back, exposing his throat to teeth that puncture through the soft flesh. Noctis gasps and shoots upwards, gripping his throat as he pants for air. 

“Noctis? Sweetie are you okay?” his mother asks with groggy concern, pressing her hands to his clammy face. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“Y, yeah, I’m okay now though.” he says and tries to lay back down but feels an ache in his back and side. “Ah, shit.”

“A flare up? You want me to get you something for it?” 

“No, I’m fine, it’ll go away.” Noct tells her. He knows it won’t but he really doesn’t want his mother leaving the safety of the room. 

Noct lays down, gritting his teeth from the pain, and lets out a long sigh as his mother snuggles up against him. She pets his hair softly before slowly beginning to stop, falling back asleep. But Noct can’t, both the pain and the nightmare keeping him up. He notices the electricity is back on but the cable is out, the picture just static with white noise crackling from the speaker. Noct grabs the remote and prepares to shut the television off but stops when a quick sound breaks through the white noise. Like a muffled gunshot. Carefully and slowly, the teen pushes himself up and scoots down to the edge of the bed, looking to the T.V. with question. He listens intently to the static, hearing nothing else and figuring that the noise was a fluke, but then he hears another gunshot followed by a muffled growl. Was the fight going on outside really that bad that it is being picked up? Or, was it coming from inside the house? Noctis looks back at his mother, the woman sleeping soundly with a jammies clad Carbuncle curled up on the pillow above her head. He bites his lip and looks back to the device, shutting it off and then sliding back towards the top of the bed. 

“Ah, damn.” he grunts and leans forward, body trembling from the pain he’s in. 

Seems like he has no other choice, there is no way he’ll be able to get comfortable let alone sleep in pain like this. So much to his chagrin, he slips off the bed, grabs up the glasses and earpiece, and quietly pads across the room to the door. He has a moment's hesitation where he looks back at his mother but when a sharp pain rips up his back, Noct knows he has to venture out. The teen places the items on, takes a deep breath, and turns the knob. He pokes his head out from the room and looks down each end of the hall, freezing when he sees the window down the hall wide open. But then he hears a loud gunshot and catches a glimpse of Prompto rushing across the roof and firing again. Noct breaths out a sigh of relief and steps out of the room. He carefully makes his way down the hallway and into the bathroom, shutting the door and begins searching through the cabinets but furrows his brows when he doesn’t find his pills in the medicine cabinet. 

“Fuck.” he huffs under his breath. Maybe they were on his nightstand. Noct heads in through the door that connects the bathroom to his room and goes to the stand by his bed, not seeing the bottle there or in the drawer. “Son of a bitch.”

There was only one other place they could be, by the sink, downstairs. Noctis continues to curse under his breath and feels another sharp pain go up his side that makes him whine. Well, he still has some lives left. As soon as he gets part way down the stairs, he feels a deep cold chill run up his form. But he can’t stop now. Once downstairs, he moves quickly but carefully over to the kitchen, finding his pill bottle.

_“Noctis?”_

The teen gasps and flinches, regretting it immediately as his body seizes. “Ow, ow, shit.” 

_“Noct what in the Six’s names are you doing down here?”_

“Back, side.” he grunts out and grits his teeth. “Pain.” 

Ignis quickly appears at his side, helping him as he slides to the floor. The ghost fills a glass with water and grabs out a couple pills for the teen, crouching down next to him and handing them over.

 _“Be quick, then I’ll help you over to the stairs.”_

“Is it really bad?”

_“Yes, and it’s getting worse by the minute.”_

Noct quickly pops his meds and washes them down, sighing and setting the glass aside before nodding that he is ready and cringing as they both stand. “God I feel like an old man, this shit weather is messing with me.” 

_“I’m sure you getting injured recently doesn’t help matters.”_

“I know.” he says with a sigh before cringing from pain.

The two stop at the stairwell, with Ignis placing his hands on the teen’s shoulders and taking a soft stance.

 _“Please Noctis, it pains us every time you get hurt or we can’t protect you.”_ Ignis says, face morphing into slight grief. _“We couldn’t bear to lose someone we deeply care about again.”_

Noct lurches forwards and wraps his arms around the ghost’s middle, hugging him tightly. Ignis lets a soft chuckle escape him as he pats the teens head, but then he goes rigid and turns his head towards the basement door.

 _“Go, now.”_ he commands and pulls his daggers out, standing in front of the teen protectively. 

Chattering and giggles begin to echo as the doorway creaks open, then little feet begin to patter about. Noct lets a scared grunt escape him but he regains his composure and turns towards the stairs, trying to go up them as quickly as he can despite the lingering pain in his body. He hears a creature shriek and thud to the ground followed by a second not long after. Noctis makes it to the top of the stairs and turns to head down the hall towards the bedroom, but stops and stares in horror at the figure at the other end.

A large humanoid being stands before the open window, a katana laid across its shoulder. Lightning flashes and illuminates the creature, revealing it to be a gnarled looking being in an ornate kimono with sickly gray scarred skin. Noct’s heart begins to thump rapidly in his chest as a cold chill runs down his spine. How did it manage to get past Prompto and into the house? The daemon taps its blade against its shoulder as it begins to slowly lumber forward towards the scarred stiff teen.

“Iggy.” Noct whimpers out as tears trickle down his cheeks, hoping desperately that the ghost heard him. 

But help doesn’t come, so Noct slowly begins to move back towards the stairs, keeping his gaze on the advancing creature. Unbeknownst to the teen though, was that this daemon wasn’t the only one to creep through the window, for a small creature appears from inside the dark bathroom and stabs him in the back of his leg. Noct lets a sharp gasp escape him and falls sideways, crashing against the stairs harshly and tumbling all the way down to the bottom where he lands with a thud. Blood begins to gush from the cut on his face where one of the glasses’ lens had busted and sliced open his flesh. 

Noctis lets out shrill and pained little cries as he slowly pushes himself up before inhaling deeply and letting out an anguished sob. His head was throbbing, his body ached, his companions were nowhere around, and daemons were in his house; but worst of all, his mother was just upstairs sleeping. Noct hears yelling and gunshots from outside, followed by guttural screams from dying daemons. With all his might, the injured teen drags himself as quickly as he can towards the open door, hoping that he can get the attention of one of the ghost to come help him. But his hopes are dashed as gangly and rough fingers wrap around his bleeding leg, turning him so that he is dragged backwards towards the outside. Before he is yanked out the door though, he grabs hold of the frame and tries hanging on for dear life, letting out a scream as he is wrenched away, finally catching the attention of the three men.

 _“Noct!”_ the ghost all yell in panic. 

Ignis is the first to attempt saving the teen but is assailed by a large spider woman, him being knocked halfway across the yard by a rough blow from one of its legs. Prompto fires on the daemon dragging Noctis, hitting it multiple times but the thing continues moving towards the forest undeterred. It finally stops when it blocks a strike from an enraged Gladio, the man using all his might to knock the daemon off balance and breaking its hold on the younger man. It works and the creature is sliced in half by the large broadsword, its body disintegrating into a black puddle that disappears.

 _“Gladio!”_ Ignis shouts from where he is pinned down by the spider daemon, him managing to sever one of its legs. _“Take him back inside, quickly! Prompto, cover him!”_

“Gladio.” Noctis whimpers out pitifully and sobs into the man’s chest as he wraps his large arms around the small teen. 

_“I got you Noct.”_ he says soothingly and presses a quick kiss to the younger man’s forehead before scooping him up. He rushes back towards the house but skids to a stop and looks in horror as a small, seemingly harmless green creature stands guard in the open doorway. _“Fucking Tonberry.”_

“Gladio?” 

The large specter looks for any other option to get the teen to safety, then notices the open second-floor window. Gladio holds the bruised and bloodied teen close to himself and leaps up to the roof, narrowly avoiding a slash from an Imp. But as he runs over to the open window, a shrill hiss makes him blanche, looking up to see a large snake with a woman’s face leering down from the main part of the roof. The snake barrels into him, sending him flying back with the teen held tightly to his chest and crashing back down to the ground with enough force it dislodges the boy from his grip. Noctis gasps from the pain ripping through his body as he slowly pushes himself up with his arms, feeling around the ground for the partially broken glasses. He finds them and places them on his face, finding that the glasses are greatly bent. Thankfully though, the other lens didn’t shatter. But he only gets a moment of reprieve when he hears a scream come from Prompto, the man trying and failing to fend off multiple imps that drag him to the ground. Noct turns to see Ignis in no better shape as he gets batted around by the spider creature. Then he looks to Gladio, finding him pinned to the ground and using his broadsword to hold back the sharp venom dripping teeth of the snake creature. 

“This can’t be happening.” Noct whimpers out, feeling as though he is on the cusp of using the last of his nine lives.

The sound of wet squelching and a guttural growl makes the teen freeze, tears rolling down his cheeks. He slowly turns to look behind himself, finding to his horror an octopus-human abomination floating behind him with its tendrils undulating around almost hypnotically. But then the daemon lunges with its tentacles pointing directly at the screaming boy, who by reflex, turns and curls into a ball on the muddy ground. Noct quivers as he waits for the inevitable, but the strike never comes. He slowly lifts his head up, taking a deep breath and turning to look back at why the attack suddenly stopped. 

The teen chokes out a pained gasp. “Oh, god, no.”

Gladio grimaces, his brow furrowed deeply before he looks at the teen with affection and remorse. _“N, Noct. I’m sorr-”_ The tendrils of the creature puncture through his chest and spindle around his entire body.

“Gladio! NO!” Noctis screams as he watches Gladio get dragged into the forest and disappear into the fog.

Then everything vanishes, leaving the stunned Noctis and the two remaining ghosts alone. The teen chokes out a sob as he continues to stare in shock at the forest, waiting for Gladio to return. 

_“Noct.”_ Ignis gasps out as he forces himself to move quickly, dropping down by the boy's side as Prompto limps over. _“We need to get you inside and patched up.”_

“He’s, going to come back, right? They can’t really do much to you guys, can they?” he asks, looking pitifully hopeful. “Please tell me he’s going to be okay.”

Not another word is spoken, but instead, he is hugged tightly by Prompto and then Ignis. Noct inhales sharply, body beginning to tremble, and wails mournfully.


	24. Chapter 24

Noct sits alone on his couch, weeping into his hands softly from the nightmare that had just unfolded. Gladio was gone, he was battered and bloodied, the two remaining ghosts used up so much of their energy from the fight and bandaging him they passed out on the living room floor, and his mother would surely force him from the house when she sees the state he’s in. He won’t blame her if she does, since a small part of him wants to just get up and run away, not having to go through any more of this pain. But he can’t and won’t, he made a promise he’d help cleanse the property and free the ghosts, plus he’s not going to give up on Gladio. Although maybe just one day away would do him well, plus there’s the issue of nighttime. God, what could he do, what should he do? The sounds of a door opening and feet stepping across wooden flooring makes the teen’s blood run cold, his mother is up. Aulea steps down the stairs, holding Carbuncle in her arms and smiling before letting the squirming creature down.

“Good morning son, you’re up quite ear-” She stops and stares in horror at the state of the boy. “Noct?” 

He gets off the couch and hobbles over to her, letting out an anguished sob as he latches onto her front. “Mom, he’s gone, they took him.” Noct wails into her front.

“What!? Noctis what are you saying? Oh my god look at your face, who did this?” she says and gasps. “Did, did the ghosts do this?”

“No, they saved me, but Gladio they-” Noctis sniffles and looks up at his Mother. “Mom there are, other things here besides the ghosts, bad things that try to hurt me. The guys, they protect me from them. But they, they took him, took Gladio after he jumped in front of me to block an attack.”

Noct begins to slump to the floor, his Mother holding onto him to ease his descent and then presses his face against her chest, stroking his hair gently as he continues crying. She looks over to Carbuncle, seeing him sniffing some unseen thing before whimpering.

“What happened to the other two?”

The teen sniffles. “They used up so much energy saving me they passed on on the floor. They, they actually look really dead. Before, whenever they’d sleep and I’d poke at them their faces would twitch. But they don’t now. Mom, what am I going to do?”

Aulea looks to her son, her heartbreaking, and pulls him into a tighter embrace. “Why, don’t we leave for a bit? We’ll go through a drive-through and get breakfast then sit in the car so you can calm yourself, you don’t have to even get dressed.”

Noct mulls over her words, while not exactly fleeing the house, he’s still leaving. Should he chance going now? But what if Gladio comes back? And what about Prompto and Ignis? He hears a thump come from the stairs and turns around, seeing Carbuncle there with his phone in his mouth and tail thumping against the floor. The little fox sets it down by Noct, letting him read the message flashing on the screen. 

_I will stay with them and contact you if anything changes. You should leave for a while, get yourself better._

Noctis lets a smile slip forth before scooping up the animal and hugging him affectionately. “Thank you.” 

He pockets his phone and stands up with the help of his mother, putting on a pair of slippers and carefully leaving the house. Though as he makes his way to his car, he feels a knot in the pit of his stomach and becomes anxious. He turns to look back at the old house, feeling as though he is being beckoned back to it. 

“Noctis?” his Mother calls to him, snapping him from his thoughts. “It’ll be okay.” 

He forces a weak smile on his face and gets into the passenger seat, taking an exhaustive breath of air before slumping in his seat. The car ride to the fast food restaurant was silent, Mother unsure what to ask and Son not knowing what to say. They order their food and pull into a parking spot, beginning to eat breakfast before Noct stops, feeling a bout of nausea sweep over him. The teen breaks down and finally tells his Mother everything; his first meeting with the ghosts and learning about his past life, about the Daemons that are trying to claim him, then the cleansing he and Luna are planning, and finally his relationship with Gladio. The look on the woman’s face is a mix of stunned horror and doleful, she sets down her yogurt and looks at the steering wheel, her brows knitting together tightly before she lets out a deep sigh and pulls her son into a strong hug. 

“Mom, what should I do? I, I wanted to live on my own and take care of my own problems like an adult, but I’m just don’t know what to do now. I can’t-” He’s silenced when his Mother presses her lips to his forehead and shushes him.

“It’s all right Noctis, there are times when even adults are lost and unsure of what they need to do. And you’ve done the best you could.”

“I’m sorry,” Noct chokes out. “I’m so sorry Mom.”

Aulea releases her hold on him and sits back, wiping the tears from his eyes and smiling lovingly at him. “Maybe though, you should stay away from the house for a few days, especially since your friends are incapacitated and your,” she begins and purses her lips, trying to not cringe. “boyfriend is missing. It would be too dangerous for you to stay there.”

He knows it is, he has been mulling over it for the entire morning. Without the protection from the specters, he’d be easy pickings for the Daemons, especially if they do what he is afraid they’d do. There is still a part of him that wants to tell her no, that wants to stubbornly stay despite all the danger. But he listens to his head and not his heart. 

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” 

Noctis outlines what he is going to do until Carbuncle contacts him that it’s somewhat safe to return. He will first drive his mother across town to his Grandmother’s, staying the rest of the day there since he doesn’t have class the following day. While there he’ll contact Luna and give her a full update on the current situation, especially since he hasn’t returned any of her text from that morning. Once that is all taken care of and if Carbuncle doesn’t message him, he’ll find a cheap motel close by to his school that he can crash in at night while returning to his house when it’s still daytime and only if he absolutely needs something. It was the best and safest option open to him, but he feels his resolve begin to wane as he steps through his front door, feeling the unnatural cold and the silence. It’s wrong, oh so wrong.

The warm and comforting hand of his Mother resting on his shoulder snaps him out of his thoughts, giving her a fond smile before going to get cleaned up. The teen proceeds to collect some spare clothes, his laptop, school stuff, and other necessities before going to Carbuncle who has perched on the bay window sill next to the blue flower. He strokes the little creature's fur before looking at the flower, frowning as he sees it has begun to wilt.

“Oh no.” But he lets out a soft gasp when Carbuncle nuzzles his hand and gives his fingers licks before looking up at him. “Please take care of yourself,” he says and looks over to where the ghosts had collapsed. “and the others while I’m gone.”

His cell vibrates, getting a message of reassurance from his spirit animal and relieving some of his anxiety. He puts on the partially broken glasses, it looking more like a monocle now but it still does its job. Noct checks over his unconscious roommates and finds them lying where they passed out earlier, huddled up protectively to one another. His anxiety to leave wells up again, feeling his chest tighten and heart race, tears bubbling from his eyes. He sniffles and rubs the tears away, forcing himself forwards and reminding himself that if he were to stay and get injured, the sacrifices they made for him would be in vain.

The last thing he has to do is feed the Koi fish, feeling bad that they won’t get another meal until he returns. Maybe he could look into an automatic feeder. Noct tosses a little extra for them, chuckling at them before looking sorrowful at the largest Koi that has its tiny companion nestled up against it and thinks of Gladio. Frowning, he looks to the forest and scans the tree lines, hoping that he’ll catch a glimpse of the large man and see that he is okay. That he will come back to him. Nothing.

The teen sighs and tosses in another handful of food to the begging fish, then wipes his hands on his pant legs before heading back into the house, but an all too familiar scent wafts into his nose that halts him in his tracks; a floral scent, Gladio’s scent. Glancing all around with a sense of hope coming over him that the man had returned but he still finds nothing. Maybe it was just the wind picking up or changing and catching the scent from the flower vines growing across his neighbor’s fence. 

“Of course not.” Noct sighs out and goes back inside. 

He gives one last pet to Carbuncle before his Mother snatches him up to give him cuddles, then leaves a note for the two ghost, or Gladio if he happens to return, letting them know what he is up to for the time being. Noctis stops and takes one more look around his living room before frowning and shutting the door behind him.

“Do you want me to drive Mom?”

“No dear, rest your leg.” she says and takes the driver’s seat.

They leave, making small talk while Noct takes quick glances at his phone before turning to look out the window, watching as the houses become fewer and open land becomes prominent. To think, this was once a grand metropolis set in a world where magic and machinery, gods and monsters, lived side by side. They eventually arrive at a large farmhouse later that afternoon, pulling into the driveway and seeing an elderly woman step out onto the porch to greet them. 

“Oh goodness me, you didn’t say Noctis was coming to stay too. Oh my sweet grandbaby, it's been so long.” the woman coos and presses her hands to the boy’s face, pulling him close and giving him multiple kisses to his cheeks. “You’ve turned into such a handsome young man now.”

“Thank you Nana Tali.” he says fondly and hugs his Grandmother. 

Noct helps carry in his Mother’s belongings before grabbing his bags and takes them to a guest room, one he remembers staying in as a child. He’s a lot calmer then he would have initially thought, possibly due to being somewhere familiar and cozy. The teen lets an exhaustive sigh escape him and flops down across the bed, stretching out and yawning deeply. Maybe he should take a nap for a while since dinner won’t be ready for a couple hours and his Mom is having a conversation with his Grandmother at the moment. So he kicks off his shoes and reclines on the bed, setting his phone on the nightstand and relaxing. His eyes travel across the room, looking at the antique furniture, paintings his Grandfather did, and the old floral wallpaper that has begun to fray in some spots. It’s so serene.

A loud ringing startles him awake, looking around frantically before realizing it’s his phone. Dread but also hope spread across him as he reaches for the device, hesitating momentarily before picking it up. But upon looking at the number, he furrows his brows, it wasn’t a number he recognizes. Noct purses his lips and goes to set the phone down, ignoring the call, but something keeps him from setting it down. Instead, he answers. 

“H, hello?”

_“Umm hi, is this uh Noctis?”_

The teen’s brow crinkles. “Yeah, who’s this?”

 _“Oh uh, you’re Mother gave me your number,”_ the man on the other end coughs embarrassedly and forces a soft laugh. _“she umm said that if I didn’t hear from you after a day that I uh should call you instead, that you can be kinda shy.”_

Noctis lets out a strained groan, it was the man from the pet store his Mother met. Shit. “Ah, yeah, sorry. A lot has been going on. So umm, hey.”

The man chuckles. _“Yeah, hey.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	25. Chapter 25

Talking with Petshop Guy had been, he’ll admit, a breath of fresh air. No talks of expectations or family drama, no otherworldly shit, just normal stuff; like sports, the weather, and puppies. They are cute puppies from what Noct saw from the photo the man sent him. He hangs up his phone and flops back against the bed, but then a soft chuckle catches his attention and he sighs.

“How long have you been eavesdropping?”

“A few minutes,” she says and then smiles teasingly. “then I went back to visit with your Grandmother and came back a half hour later, still finding you on the phone. So you had a good chat?”

“Yeah, got a cute new background for my phone.” he says and shows her the puppies photo.

“Aww, they look just like the Mama dog he had with him at the pet store.” Aulea says and looks cheerfully at him. “I’m glad you had fun talking with him, you look more in high spirits now.”

“Yeah,” Noct begins and gives her a smile. “thanks Mom.”

“Just remember, a Mother’s meddling isn’t always a bad thing.” she chuckles but then takes on a serious expression. “I hid your keys along with your Grandmother’s, she had “Lucky” on the kitchen counter.”

“Grandma's old bat? Oh geez.” Noctis snorts and shakes his head. His Grandmother had played in a women’s league during her youth and had one bat that never busted no matter how hard she struck the balls with it. It was given to her as a parting gift when she retired, she then used it to threaten her children’s suitors, his Father included. “Let’s just hope she doesn’t know how to hotwire a car.”

Mother and Son share a laugh before Aulea plops down next to him, scooping him up and stroking his hair lovingly. They stay like this for a bit until dinner is ready, sitting down to enjoy a nice meal. After finishing, Noct helps with the cleanup and then manages to sneak away for a quick call to Luna before the two women can drag him with them to watch an old movie. 

“Hey, sorry I didn’t get back sooner.”

“Noct you had me scared half to death, I was about ready to ask Crowe to swing on by your place to check up on you. What happened?”

“It’s, it’s really bad Luna.” he chokes out and spills everything to her. 

She listens to the teen’s woes patiently and remains composed when trying to calm him, offering comforting and encouraging words. He finishes by letting out a deep sigh and waits for her to respond. 

“I am truly sorry to hear all of these bad things happened. I wish I had more good news for you but it’s only two things and some bad news.”

“It’s okay, at least there is something good, so what’s the bad news?”

“The writ we asked Aranea to go check up on was so badly damaged nothing could be gleaned from it.”

“Man, that sucks. What about the one in Ulwaat?”

“That one is still there, my Mother checked up on it for me and thankfully got me clearance to study it.” Luna says, her voice sounding cheery. 

“That is good news.”

“Also I sent the blueprints of the glasses to Aranea and she knows someone who can possibly make them.”

Noct gasps in excitement, grin stretching across his face. “Holy shit that would be awesome, especially since the one I have is currently only a monocle. Man, I hope this all works out.”

“I do as well. Oh, one more thing. That blue flower you had on your bay window, are you aware of the species?”

Noctis purses his lips. “No.”

“It’s a Sylleblossom, they were once native to Tenebrae and held special meaning to the line of Oracles. But they can no longer be found growing there.”

“So I have a “magical last of its kind” flower in a shitty old pot on my window sill?”

“Yes.”

“It’s starting to wilt.”

“That is not good at all.”

Noctis begins to cringe as a tight knot forms in his stomach. “It’s important to help with the cleansing, isn’t it?”

“Possibly. The original owner, Ardyn, made note of how a small imp-like creature tried to lunge at him one night while he was out late watering his garden. He noticed a faint glow illuminate from the flower and the creature stopped in its tracks, shrieked and disappeared. He also noted that it never died and always remained bloomed.”

“Of fucking course.” he grumbles out.

“Language Noctis, but if it is starting to wilt, then it is possible it’s losing power.” 

“I did give it water before I left, I’ll check on it tomorrow. Do you think I should replant it back in the yard?”

“I don’t-”

“OH! The place in the forest, there were similar flowers growing there.”

“Ah yes, that would make sense. The Daemons can’t breach that area.”

“So if we could figure out how to grow more of those flowers, we could plant them at the fence line to keep the Daemons off the property.” Noct says, face lighting up.

“That is a possibility, but we still need to figure out a way to cleanse the area and not just contain them in the forest.”

“I know, but it could maybe buy us more time so they don’t keep ransacking the property and hurting us.”

“It’s worth a try.”

“Yeah, I’ll check up on things when I stop by to grab some new clothes tomorrow.”

“Please be careful.”

“I will, thanks Luna.” 

Noctis hangs up and sighs deeply, then begins formulating a plan of action. It will take him two and a half hours to get back home, possibly three if he hits traffic, so he needs to leave early. When he gets back he’ll check up on the two ghosts, feed the Kois, and then see what condition the flower is in. He’ll have Carbuncle lead him through the forest so he can plant the flower at the clearing and see if it’s possible to take a few from there or even see if he can collect some seeds.

Noctis heads back inside, bidding goodnight to his Mom and Grandma, then prepares for bed. But as he lays down to rest, he finds it to be hard to fall asleep, having grown so attached to having Gladio beside him and holding him. Noct sniffles and tears form in his eyes, he misses the ghosts. He feels the bed dip momentarily and hears loud rumblings draw closer to him, then gets a fuzzy head bonked against his as another fuzzy mass kneads against his side.

“Ah, Jemima, Mistoffelees, did you sense I was down?” he asks and pets the two cats. But then he chuckles as an old slow cat makes its way up to him and plops down next to his head while resting its face against his. “Grizabella, you lovable old lady you.” 

Having the cats cuddling up all around helps him tremendously and he falls into a comfortable sleep finally. He wakes early in the morning when his alarm goes off, regretting his choice to get up so early but he is on a mission. So he tumbles out of bed and goes about his morning business before heading out where he finds his Grandmother already up enjoying a cup of coffee. 

“You leaving already?”

“Yeah, I have some things I need to do.”

“Have you said goodbye to your Mother yet?”

Noctis purses his lips. “I didn’t want to wake her.”

“She’ll be heartbroken.”

Okay.” he says and sets his stuff down, then heads to where his Mother is asleep. Noct carefully opens the door an peeks in, finding her sleeping soundly. He walks over to her and gently touches her shoulder, giving it a little jostle to stir her. “Mom, hey.”

“Noct? What is it sweetie?”

“I have to leave.”

“What? Why? Don’t leave yet.”

“I need to go back to the house, I spoke to Luna and we came up with a plan. I need to get a start on it before it starts to get dark out.”

“But Noctis-”

He wraps his arms around her and hugs her. “I need to do this.” he says and gets a coy look on his face. “That way the property will be safe for any little ones that will be living there someday.”

Aulea chuckles softly and rubs her son’s back. “At least two.”

Noctis chuckles too and then releases her. “I’ll call you when I get home and then tonight, okay?”

“All right, love you son.” she says and kisses his forehead.

“Love you too Mom.” he says and starts to walk out.

“Oh, Noct wait.” she says and grabs her purse, then tosses his keys to him with a smile. 

He smiles back at her and nods in thanks, then takes a brief stop to say goodbye to his Grandmother who hands him a thermos of coffee and a puff pastry she made the day before. The teen sets off on his drive back home, feeling anxious as the time passes by, and even takes a quick stop at a gas station to pick up a pack of cigarettes to help with his nerves. He finally turns the corner to where his house is, letting out a sigh of relief that it looks still intact.

Noct pulls into the driveway and takes a couple deep breaths and exits his car. He calls his Mother as he walks around back to the Koi pond, stifling a chuckle at the fish who splash around begging for food. His phone vibrates suddenly and when he looks down he sees a message from Carbuncle, the little creature wondering why Noctis came back so soon since the remaining two ghosts are still unconscious. So he heads up into the house through the backdoor, finding Carbuncle perched up on the windowsill. 

“Luna and me may have found something that can keep the property safe for a time.” he says and gives a scratch to the creatures ear, but then frowns as he looks at the blue flower, seeing that it has wilted further. Noct picks up the pot and looks out the window, brows crinkling but he takes a determined expression. “Carbuncle, I need you to lead me to the clearing in the forest.”

The little fox twitches its ears and then nods, hopping down from the sill and trotting out the door with Noct starting to follow behind but stopping to retrieve the broken eyeglasses and earpiece. He puts them on and looks around, seeing the ghosts still passed out on the floor. He frowns sadly as he looks at them, but he finds a sense of determination that fuels him to move forwards. 

“Just hang on guys, hopefully, this all works out so that way you all won’t have to keep fighting.”

He heads outside and over to the shed, poking around inside until he finds a can of fluorescent orange spray paint. Noctis carefully hops the fence and takes a deep breath, then goes to the start of the tree line and marking a tree. They press further and further into the forest, with Noct marking some trees so he knows where to go, or escape when he needs to. The clearing comes into view and Noctis marks on the last tree before running over. He glances about the area, trying to see where a good spot to try and replant the flower would be while also checking to make sure the flowers were the same species. Thankfully, it seems so.

A slight glisten catches his attention and he goes over to check up what it is, finding the water-filled hole Gladio had dug that he used to heal him. A big grin forms on Noctis face, him dropping down and scooping up some water that he pours into the soil of the flower pot. He sets the plant in a spot where a ray of sunshine casts down and watches intently to see if this heals the plant. Carbuncle joins him in watching the flower, perching up on Noctis back and resting his head on the teen’s crown. Noct gasps, seeing a soft sparkle flowing from the flower as it starts regaining its color and lost petals. It worked, finally something good. A branch cracking from behind startles Noctis, him flailing forward and turning around, looking out through the forest. 

“Holy shit.” he gasps out, hand over his chest and slightly trembling. 

Noctis takes a couple calming breaths and shakes his head, but then he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end especially when Carbuncle begins growling lowly with its ears folded back. The teen swallows down the lump in his throat, wondering just what the hell it is that is behind him. It couldn’t be a Daemon since it’s light out, maybe a wild animal? He turns his head slowly to look back, feeling absolutely terrified but again finds nothing. Noct shakes his head and sighs, then he hears the little fox growling again, this time in front of him. He turns back around and looks up, seeing Gladio standing at the edge of the clearing, staring at him with cold dark eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	26. Chapter 26

A feeling of dread instead of joy hits Noctis right in the gut as he looks into cold and dark eyes that were once warm and filled with love. His body begins to move forward out of habit but Carbuncle bites his sleeve with a growl and tugs on him.

 _“noct”_ a garbled but still painfully familiar voice calls to him.

The teen looks back at the ghost, seeing him raise an arm limply before extending out his hand and wobbling slightly, then a black viscous ooze trickles down his face.

_“help me”_

“Gladio, god what is that?” Noctis whimpers and once again moves forwards only to have Carbuncle repeat its action as before. 

_“please, help me, come to me, feel so cold”_

What was he to do? Was this really Gladio or a manifestation from the Necromancer? But if it was the later, then how is it able to move during daylight? Maybe this is what the other ghosts and the original owner feared, he’s possessed. The more Noct thinks about it and watches Gladio, the more that theory seems to be true. The black grime, the way Gladio speaks and moves, and the fact that he won’t step foot inside the clearing all points to him being taken over. 

_”please”_

Noctis lets out a soft whine and looks mournfully at his boyfriend. Was Gladio still in there, trying to fight it and call to him or was this part of that Daemon’s plan? Is there a way to save him or will he have to- No, no god no. There has to be a way. Maybe in the notes? He could text Luna and ask her to see if anything is said in what she has, plus there were still some journals Noctis hadn’t read through completely. Mostly because he read the first page and it confused him so he ignored them after. But that means he needs to get to the house. Will Gladio snatch him up as soon as he moves from the protection of the clearing? Would he even be able to make it back to the house? And if he did would Gladio follow after him and then attack the unconscious ghosts? Would Gladio try to kill him or drag him back to the forest until nightfall, then give him to the Daemons so they can defile him too? This can’t be happening, but what could he do? 

_“hurts, noctis, help”_

“Shit, what can I do?” he says softly. 

His phone vibrates suddenly and he feels Carbuncle nudge him, so he takes out the device and checks the message, seeing a message that says _’pick up the flower and prepare to run, i’ll distract him’_ Noct looks to the little fox, it twitching its nose and looking up at the teen. Noctis gives a nod and scoots back towards where the flower pot sits, then takes a glance at the pool of glistening water. He feels around in his pockets until he finds his pill bottle, dumping the contents into his pockets and then scooping up water into the container. The teen stands up with the flower in his arms, taking a few steps to the right but stops as Gladio lumbers in that direction, then moves to the left with the same outcome. 

“Okay.” Noct says after taking a deep breath. He then looks down at Carbuncle. “Let’s do this, little dude.”

Carbuncle arches its back and gives a wiggle as Noctis prepares to run, keeping his eyes trained on the large ghost. Then, in a flash, the little fox pounces onto the ghost’s head, growling and snapping to draw his attention as Noctis makes a mad dash from the clearing. He doesn’t look back and just keeps an eye out for the spray paint markings, assuring he’s going in the right direction. Even as he becomes winded and feels his body ache terribly, he doesn’t stop, he has to make it back to the house. He stumbles momentarily over a stump, almost dropping the flower but he uprights himself and runs onward especially when he hears snapping of branches not far behind himself.

The forest starts becoming less dense and the house comes into view, giving Noct a great sense of hope that he’ll make it back safely and come up with a plan to possibly save Gladio. The teen dives through the opening between the planks of the fence, tumbling momentarily before jumping up and dashing forward to the house. He quickly leaps, bypassing the stairs completely, and rushes into the house while locking the door, even though it won’t help once the ghost makes it to the house. Noct takes a few seconds to catch his breath, his lungs feeling like they’re on fire and ready to burst while a bout of nausea sweeps through him. As he goes to step away from the door and retreat upstairs, thick arms phase through and latch onto him, pulling him roughly against the door and causing him to drop the flower. 

“No! Please no! Gladio!” he screams as he tries to break free, but he’s ignored and the ghost walks completely through still holding him. Noct looks to the two sleeping spirits in panic, feeling a deep dread but slight hope. “Prom!? Iggy!? Please hear me and wake up! Please you guys! Hel-”

He gets slammed forcefully against the floor, knocking the wind out of him and stunning him. Noctis gasps for air and futilely attempts to crawl away but gets stopped, flipped onto his back with the daemon-possessed Gladio straddling his hips who then grabs him by the face and slams his head against the floor with a thud. Then a second, and then a third that makes a wet thump. Noct’s vision begins to blur with tears pooling from his eyes and hears a ringing in his ears as a severe stinging pain tears through his throbbing skull. A shadow looms over him and all he can make out are two yellowish glowing orbs that appear to stare directly into his soul before his vision slowly returns, seeing the deathly pale face of the ghost along with black veins that spider web across his face.The viscous liquid drips onto Noctis face and on the floor from were they seep from the man’s eyes and slightly parted lips; it smells like death. 

“Gladio,” he gasps out. “please snap out of it, please.”

But he is ignored. Gladio leans his head down further to where he’s just about nose to nose with the teen before turning his head slightly and moving in closer, eyes still staring into scared blue ones. Cold chapped lips brush against Noctis’, making him clench his jaw shut and purse his lips with the little amount of energy he has left. But when a thick hand clamps tightly around his throat he opens his mouth to gasps for air and that’s when one of the worst things imaginable happens. As the possessed ghost forces a kiss on him, Noct feels a thick tar-like substance begin to slither down his throat and into his lungs, a terrible burning and nausea forming in him way worse then he has ever experienced.

Finally, Gladio sits back, a strained noise escaping from him before his color returns to its normal bronze and he slumps over. The teen grasps at his throat and begins gasping and gagging, making retching noises as he writhes around, it feeling like ice is coursing through his veins and a heavy weight is strapped to his chest. His vision becomes hazier, shrieks echo in his ears, and it feels like his skin is being slowly filleted from his body. He feels like he is dying.

Then, just as he feels he’s about to sink into the abyss of death, something slams into his stomach with enough force it causes him to projectile vomit out some of the black ooze that fizzles out into black smoke. He gasps and then cries as he rolls onto his side, puking again before sobbing in agony. The water filled pill bottle rolls up to his face, the teen looking out the corner of his eye to see a bloodied Carbuncle looking at him with unease. Noct reaches out and grasps up the vial and opens it with shaky hands, swallowing down some of the water and then cries out as what like thousands of tiny little pins are piercing him from the inside to get out.

Another violent bout of nausea hits, him as he expunges more of the viscous gunk onto the floor until his throat is raw and he just dry heaves. Noctis gasps out hoarsely but then begins to settle as the agonizing pain in his body slowly begins to dissipate and is replaced by a calming warmth. He opens his eyes and looks at the injured little fox, then to the vial which has a small amount of water still inside and holds it out.

“Here, drink, please.” he says weakly but Carbuncle doesn’t budge. “Please, ‘Buncles.”

The spirit animal relents and laps at the offered water, licking at his muzzle before trotting over to the teen and nuzzling his face with little squeaky whimpers. Noctis scoops him up into his arms and glances around the room before looking at the flower, seeing that it miraculously is okay and the pot didn’t shatter. He then turns to the still form of the ghost beside him and feels a tight knot form in his stomach. 

“Oh, Gladio.” the teen sniffles. 

He reaches his hand out and presses it to Gladio’s cheek, feeling the cold rough skin he has been longing to touch, seeing the face of the man he yearned for to return to him. He lets a soft sob escape him as he leans in, pressing a soft kiss to the side of the man’s lips and then to his lips before resting down and laying his head on the ghost’s thick arm. Even though it still may not be safe, he doesn’t care, his body is too weak to move and he doesn’t want to leave the man’s side at the moment.

“Hey,” Noctis mumbles out and pets the light green fur of the little fox. “are you able to sense anything? Am I safe to be here for a little while?” 

Carbuncle lifts his head listlessly and twitches his nose before nodding, and resting back down. Noct lets out a soft sigh of relief. He reaches into his pocket and pulls his phone out, checking the time and seeing he has about seven hours before the sun will begin to set. That should give him enough time to rest and gather up some of his belongings, hopefully, see if any of the ghosts awaken before he leaves to stay at the motel by his school. So he sets his alarm for four and a half hours, just to make sure, and cuddles up closer to Gladio’s still body before nodding off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for taking so long to update, had a bad mix of writer's block with this along with a hectic work schedule, a low mood, and getting distracted by other fics. Sorry again. ಥ ೧ ಥ

His eyes begin to flutter as he awakens, hazy blue orbs slowly begin to focus and look at the face next to his. Noctis reaches a hand up and touches Gladio’s face, feeling the scruff on his jaw before tracing his fingers across his scar. The teen murmurs softly and snuggles even closer, pressing warm lips against cold ones and closing his eyes again. But they reopen and look around, noticing it is bright out, way too bright. 

Noct sits himself up, wincing as his joints crackle and the stiffness from sleeping in the position he did, then looks out the window. Did he only sleep for few hours? Even after all that happened to him? He would have expected to be out cold for at least four hours. Noctis looks at his phone and turns it on, or tries since nothing happens. He purses his lips and tries again before realizing the phone’s battery is dead.

“Shit.” he grumps out and stands up on wobbly feet, looking around the room. 

The teen sees all three ghosts sleeping soundly and Carbuncle still nestled against Gladio from earlier, the little fox sleeping as well. Noctis then heads into his kitchen and as soon as he sees the time on the stove he blanches; 7:27. 

“What the-”

He hadn’t slept for a few hours, he slept almost an entire day. Did the Daemons not attack? Were they also weakened during the assault or did they believe sending a possessed Gladio after him would have been suffice enough? Is the flower’s power supercharged now and keeping the property safe as he hoped? But then a thought triumphs over all the rest as he looks at the clock once more, he needed to be at school by eight. 

“Oh fucking come on, seriously!?”

Extreme panic kicks into overdrive as he begins to run around like a chicken with its head cut off; putting the glowing flower onto the windowsill, grabbing up his school stuff, taking a sponge bath, getting dressed, have a mini anxiety attack, checking on the ghosts, taking his medication, feeding the fishes, having another panic attack, and grabbing a snack bar to eat on his way. Noct stops though before he heads out the door, looking back at Gladio. He returns to the man on the floor, gently strokes his hair and presses a kiss to his lips and where the scars intersect on his forehead. The teen takes one last look around the room before setting the broken glasses onto a stand and heading off to class. 

Thankfully his morning class teacher is a bit of a flake and starts his lecture ten minutes late, Noct arriving only four minutes before, but he is more grateful that most of his classes are just reviews or videos to prepare for their finals since he can barely focus as is. His mid-day break comes, heading to the cafe to grab some food and an energy drink, hopefully getting his mind and body on the same wavelength.

His phone dings, making the teen scramble to take it from his pocket, hoping it’s a message from Carbuncle that the ghosts have awoken. Sadly, it’s not. But the message still brings some joy to him, seeing puppies in little hats and sweaters courtesy of Petshop Guy. Noct manages to trudge through his remaining classes, grateful they don’t dump any homework on him besides studying and drives back home where he is greeted by a limping Carbuncle.

“Poor little guy, you still not better? I would have thought that water would have healed you right up.” he says and scoops the creature into his arms before heading into the house. “Did you maybe not get enough?” 

As Noctis enters the house, he grabs up the broken glasses and puts them on, checking on the condition of the ghosts and finding them still unconscious. An idea pops into the boy’s head, quite foolish he’ll admit but possibly something that may just work. He sets Carbuncle onto the couch and gives him a few strokes before going to his kitchen to search through his cabinets. 

“Here we go.” he says while pulling out a large water bottle.

Noct heads out back and takes a moment to toss some food to the splashing fish before heading into his shed, this time binging with him a planter and trowel. He starts heading back to the forest but stops when he sees the little fox perched up on the fence, nose twitching at him curiously and paw slightly raised due to pain.

“I’ll be quick, okay? Just need to get some things, hopefully this will bring some much-needed peace back to the house.”

Carbuncle nods and carefully leaps over to perch upon Noctis’ shoulder before burrowing inside his jacket. The teen giggles and gives the bundled up fox a pat then heads off into the forest. He follows the markings all the way to the grove where the clearing is and heads inside, finding the spray can he dropped before, but ignores it and instead goes to the water puddle. Noct gives a little jostle to the lump in his jacket to rouse Carbuncle out and sets him by the water. Weakly the little fox laps up some water before licking his trembling leg which steadily goes still and then climbs back inside the boy’s jacket.

“Silly little pupper.” Noct giggles. 

He takes up the trowel and carefully begins digging next to the already dug hole, making it wider and watching as it slowly fills up. Once the hole is large enough he fills the water bottle up and then sets it aside, carefully beginning the arduous task of digging up some of the flowers, choosing ones that are larger and healthier looking than others. After placing the dug up flowers into the planter, he sprinkles some of the water over them to wet the soil, fills the bottle back up, and makes his way back home. He carefully maneuvers through the fence and carries the planter towards the porch but stops and looks in wonder as the flowers begin to emit a slight glow.

Excitedly, he sets the planter down by the stairs and takes out his phone, snapping a photo and sending it to Luna. Noctis picks up the plants and sets them inside a wooden box attached to the porch railing, then heads into the house to begin the next part of his plan.

“All right you guys, let’s hope this works.” 

Noct first goes to Gladio, popping the lid up of the water bottle and reaching out to cup the man’s face, gently caressing it with his brow furrowed before pulling his lips apart and slowly pouring some water into his mouth. The teen wipes away some droplets of water that trickle down the side of Gladio’s face and watches his face for any movements, but nothing happens yet so he continues to wait, and wait, and wait. He lets out a whimper and decides to give him more time, heading over to the other two ghosts to give them some of the water. He does the same thing with Prompto, slowly spritzing water into his open mouth and watching for any sign of movement, when none come he lets out a deep sigh and shimmies over to Ignis but then a cough startles him. Prompto was showing signs of waking up. 

“Yea Prom!” Noctis cheers and stares in excitement as the blonde begins to sit up, hand pressed against his forehead.

 _“Oh my gods, I feel like I was struck by a Catoblepas.”_ he winces and shakes his head before looking around, his eyes settling on the teen then drifting down to the prominent bump in his jacket. _“Holy shit! Noctis, are you pregnant!? Who knocked you up!? Wait no, you are male, you walked around naked that one time. Then that means-”_ he begins and his eyes go wide as saucers. _“How long have I been asleep!? Are you like Noctis’ daughter or something and now your having a baby!?”_

The teen bursts out into a full-on belly laugh as he unzips his jacket, pulling out Carbuncle who looks at the blonde cheekily with his tail swishing like a pendulum. 

_“Oh.”_ Prompto mutters, freckled cheeks dusting red. _“So uh, what’s umm going on buddy?” _he says and looks around curiously.__

__Noctis first explains about the water and then with Prompto’s help, gives Ignis some of the water and waits until he comes to, then dives into explaining everything that has went down the past few days; or at least he goes to but Ignis won’t stop hugging him in a nurturing manner. Noct finally divulges everything; with the exception of a certain ghost’s possession and attempt at passing on Daemon slime through a very not so fun kiss; from traveling with his Mother to stay with his Grandmother, to talking with Petshop Guy, the about what Luna found out and is doing, and finally about the flowers and the water._ _

_“Ah, some good news.”_ Ignis says and nods, but then turns his head in the direction of where the third ghost is still asleep. _“How did Gladio end up back in the house though? Or more importantly, how did he escape from the Daemons?”_

Noctis cringes and tries to think up what to tell them, but a loud cough and groan catch their attention, them all rushing over to the large ghost. 

_“Gladio?”_

_“Big Guy?”_

Long eyelashes flutter open slightly, with brown eyes slowly regaining focus and looking between his two companions. 

_“Wha? Where?”_ he mumbles out, then looks to the teen who sports a bittersweet smile and turns his head away in woeful shame. 

Noctis’ face falls into hurt, eyes misting up as he lets little sniffle escape from him before he rubs at his eyes, beginning to softly weep. 

“Gladio, I was so worried.” the teen says, voice hiccuping as he speaks. “Please don’t ever leave me aga-” 

He is cut off when strong arms wrap around him and pull him into a tight hug, Gladio gently petting his hair as he cringes and furrows his brows. 

_“I’m sorry Noctis, I failed you once again.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for lack of updates, but hopefully this chapter is okay, it does kick the plot forward a bit. Also I present a question, what type of costume should I have Noctis in for the party? I have a couple, but I wouldn't mind more suggestions. Thank you all and enjoy. :D

Even though the three are awake and Noctis explained to them what has been discovered, things are not as they once were. The ghosts have all become despondent and just flit through the house aimlessly, with Gladio being the worst, him hiding more than he is out and has stopped almost all interaction with the others; until Noctis cries for him, then Gladio will scoop him up and rub his back, constantly apologizing for what he had done and for failing. 

Ignis won’t leave the house and mostly just haunts the upstairs, pacing the halls and forever touching the bridge of his nose like he’s pushing up a pair of phantom glasses. 

Prompto will still hang around the downstairs and interact with the teen until he does his thousand-yard stare and disappears or goes to be with Ignis. 

But the worst thing of all comes just before dusk sets in, with some clothing and his school bag being set out onto the front porch, then him being shoved outside with every way back in locked and told not to come back until morning. While it was his initial plan before, having the flowers he dug up from the grove in the planter on the back porch seems to be keeping the Daemons at bay from what Carbuncle told him which means he is safe. But the three don’t look at it that way, arguing that they can possibly still enter the house through other entrances or the Necromancer could lure him out like before. So the three ghosts decided without his consent that Noctis should stay away at night until they can be sure it is absolutely safe. 

Thankfully though he doesn’t have to stay at the motel at night, with Crowe offering him her couch for the night, and while it adds an extra fifteen minutes to his school commute it saves him on money; plus he can play with her ferrets which is always fun. That is what he currently is doing, laying on his stomach and watching with bemusement as one of the wily little critters bounces around, doing its war dance. But his amusement comes to an end once Nyx plops himself down onto his back, taking a swig from his beer and snatching up the little weasel.

“Geez, fat ass, get off.” Noctis whines and attempts to crocodile roll out from under the older man but he can’t move.

“Nah, this is quite comfy, if a little boney.” Nyx chuckles. “Maybe we should fatten you up more. I’m sure Crowe wouldn't mind giving you something extra for dinner, if Libs doesn’t get to it first.” 

“Oi, shove it you dick.” Libertus snaps and gives the other man a nudge with his foot, pushing him off the teen’s back. 

Noctis chuckles as the two men trade insults and gets up off the floor and heads into the kitchen to see what Crowe is up to, finding the woman transferring a top loin onto a plate.

“Would you like any help?”

“Nah, if I need anything I’ll get one of those two lazy asses in there.” she says, gesturing to the living room with a fork. “Besides, dinner’s not for a few more hours, need to let this cool before I slice it up for sandwiches.” 

The teen takes a seat at the island counter, resting his head against his folded arms, looking slightly morose. “Thanks again for letting me bunk here.”

“No problem kiddo.” Crowe says and fluffs the boy’s hair. “So any thought of how to bypass the ghosties and return to your house?”

“If I could just get upstairs and into that hexed bedroom, I can show them I’m safe by sleeping in there for the night. The only real issue is getting past them, especially since Ignis stalks the upstairs.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” the older woman tells him as a ding comes from her watch. “Ah, time for you to take your first batch of nighttime medication.”

“Oh come on,” Noctis whines. “did you really need to set an alarm?”

“It has been twice now that I found one of your pills left on the counter because you forgot to take it. Plus it’s not good for you to miss a dose and I don’t need my ferrets ingesting them.” she says and sets down his pill case. “Did the ghosts make sure you took them?”

“Yeah, after a real bad episode.” he says and frowns. 

Noct really misses them and the couple hours he spends at his home before getting booted is not enough, especially since they all act so melancholic while he’s there. He misses goofing off with Prompto, eating Ignis’ cooking, and the loving cuddles he gets from Gladio. Maybe things will be different tomorrow, it being a Friday and the weather is going to be beautiful all weekend. Plus he wants to start cleaning up the house, preparing for the costume party he is so throwing now in spite of the ghosts’ objections. 

The next day comes with Noct setting off for his classes after saying goodbye to Crowe and taking a quick moment to doodle obscenities on Nyx and Libertus, the two men still passed out in the living room. School is boring as usual and he decides to take a quick stop at the pet store on his way home. Upon arriving back to his house, he grabs out the supplies he picked up and scampers to the back, finding that the ghostly blockade hasn’t come after him as of yet. Noctis dumps the extra food into the holding container, tossing in some for the little beggars and laughing as they gobble it up only to beg for more. 

“That’s enough you little piggies.” he says and wipes his hands off on his pants, but then he stops and looks at the filth on his jeans, getting an idea. 

The teen dashes over to his shed, grabbing up a set of plastic flower planters and a trowel along with a large bucket with a lid. He smiles at Carbuncle, the little fox looking to him with curiosity and tail wagging before Noctis begins bounding over to the fence, only to get snatched around the waist.

 _“Noct, buddy, what are you up to?”_ Prompto questions, eyebrows raised.

“Going to get more flowers, put some on the other side of the porch and maybe even at the upstairs window.” 

Prompto purses his lips and looks back at the house before turning back to the teen. _“Okay, but going into the forest is kinda dangerous.”_

“It isn’t now.” he says and gives a look of pleading to the ghost. “Plus if you go with me, you can see for yourself, I can even give you my phone to take photos.”

The blonde looks at the forest in contemplation and then smiles. _“Alrighty, let’s go.”_ he says and levitates himself and the teen, floating them over the fence.

“Just follow the markings on the trees.” Noct tells him and then cheers gleefully at being floated through the forest. 

_”So Noct, how did Gladio make it back? Cause I really doubt the Daemons would just send him along with a pat on the back and a thumbs up.”_

The teen lets a strained groan escape and purses his lips. “I don’t know.”

Prompto stops floating and sets them both on the ground, turning the boy to face him and taking a rare authoritative look. _“Noctis. Don’t lie to me, tell me what happened or you will march your little butt back to your car and you will leave”_

“But I’m not-” he begins but stops and looks at the spirit, seeing his face grow agitated. Noctis sighs and furrows his brows, looking back to him sadly. “I went to the clearing to get some water for the flower, hoping it would heal it since it was wilting. Then while I was there, Gladio appeared. He was,” the teen begins and sniffles. “he wasn’t himself. Carbuncle helped me escape and I ran back to the house, however Gladio caught me as I went into the house. He pinned me and vomited this black gunk into my mouth before going unconscious, then Carbuncle jumped onto my stomach that helped me purge some of that nasty stuff, then I drank the spring water and it completely healed me.” Noctis breaks down. “Please don’t be mad at him, he didn’t mean it and I know he feels terrible as is. I don’t want him to leave me.” 

Arms wrap around the youth and pull him into a cold yet comforting hug, with Prompto resting his chin on the teen’s head and patting his back. _“I understand and I won’t say anything. Do you think he knows what he did?”_

“Possibly. He keeps apologizing for hurting me and for failing his duty. Plus he won’t look me in the eyes, like he’s ashamed.” he says and sniffles which causes Prompto to pat his back. “I just want everything to go back to normal, all four of us together without all the avoidance and gloom. I want to play fun games with you and goof off, I want to eat good food and listen to Ignis’ stories, and I want Gladio to cuddle with me and rub my back in the way that helps with my pain.”

 _“Oh Noct.”_ Prompto says glumly. _“You know we’re doing this to make sure you’re safe, not because we don’t want you around. We all miss that stuff too, but if there is any chance you can be hurt then we can’t chance it.”_

“And that’s why I want to bring more of these flowers back. While they may not completely get rid of them, it seems to keep the daemons at bay and that can buy us more time until a way to cleanse the land is found.” Noct tells him, looking up starry-eyed and hopeful. “And too, I can sleep in the room with the hexed door.”

The blonde looks at the teen and lets a soft chuckle escape as he fluffs the boy’s hair. _”Okay, when we go back to the house we’ll sit down with the others and talk about it.”_

Noctis smiles brightly and wipes his eyes, then the two continue on to the clearing. Upon arrival, Noct gets to digging up some more flowers as Prompto fills the bucket up with water, the two of them chatting with Noct telling the other man about what he has been doing while staying at Crowe’s. They prepare to head back but Noctis stops and looks at the patch he dug up before seeing, to his shock and joy, that grass is regrowing and little buds have sprouted. This perks him up greatly, a feeling of hope coming over him. 

They return to the house and are immediately greeted with the look of worry etched onto Ignis’ face, the man pacing back and forth on the porch. Once they get close enough, the older man snaps his head in their direction, his face morphing into anger.

 _“Where the hell did you run off too? And why are you still here Noctis? Nightfall will soon be upon us.”_ he says, hands wrung together tightly.

_“Iggy, calm down. It’s all right. We just went to the clearing to get more flowers. The kid really believes they’ll keep the house safe and I believe him, so-”_

_“You what!? That was highly irresponsible and dangerous!”_ Ignis snaps and turns towards the teen. _“You, young man, will go sit in your vehicle and wait for fresh garments to be brought to you, then you are to return to where you have been staying.”_

“No!” Noctis snaps. “This is my house and I will _NOT_ be kicked out of it anymore!”

_“You will if your life is in danger and it is, end of discussion.”_

“You have no right to tell me what to do!”

_”Noctis Lucis Caelum, you-”_

“It’s not Lucis Caelum! It’s Harada and I’m not your fucking prince who you can boss around!” Noctis shouts and tosses the flower planters down.

Ignis looks taken aback by the outburst and recoils back. _“I, I apologize. I lost myself slightly to anger.”_

“Slightly!?”

 _“Noct.”_ Prompto says with a minor tone of reprimand.

 _“No, he’s right, I am deeply sorry.”_ Ignis says and heads back inside morosely. 

The gunner lets out a deep sigh and follows after his companion, leaving Noctis by himself. The teen huffs and shakes his head, crouching down to resituate the flowers he threw down. This really wasn’t how he wanted things to go and while he does understand the fears, he wants to at least try his plan and if that doesn’t work out then he’ll leave. 

_”Well that was a clusterfuck.”_

Noctis gasp from surprise but then fills with joy as he turns to see Gladio standing over by the koi pond. 

“You’re actually outside, that’s good.” Noct says and walks over.

 _”I do come out to feed the fish when you’re not around. They’ve been looking rather down lately so I give them a little extra.”_ he says and then frowns. _“It’s been rather dull around here.”_

“Well quit kicking me out.” Noct grumps. “I really miss all of you.” he tells him and gently nudges at the ghost’s hand, smiling when he’s allowed to hold it. 

_“We miss you too, but it’s just,”_ Gladio begins and furrows his brows deeply. _“there’s so much that has gone wrong and could still go wrong. Plus I, I don’t feel like I’m capable anymore. I’m afraid that I’ll fail and you’ll end up getting hurt again. Or that I’ll be the one to hurt you.”_

Noctis glowers. “So you do remember what happened.”

_”Yeah. After I was pulled away by the Mindflayer, I was taken deep into the forest where everything was rotting and smelled of death. There was a pool of miasma that I was dropped into and held under, it wasn’t pleasant. I heard pained screams and seen visions of people dying, some of them were people I once knew. When I was pulled out, it was like I was watching a movie in first person, I couldn’t control what was going on and just had to sit there. Also, and I have no fucking clue how, the Necromancer was moving around when it was light out. I don’t know if it had to do with that nasty pool but it’s not good and too, daemons would crawl out of it at night.”_

The teen looks in shock at what he just heard, brows crinkling and being at a loss for words. But then something clicks in his mind. “Wait, is that maybe like the hallowed ground where the flowers and that spring are? But for daemons?”

 _“Possibly bu-”_ Gladio stops speaking as soon as he catches on to what the teen is thinking. _“Absolutely not.”_

“I’m not thinking of going there to fight off the daemons, not yet at least. It’s just that area may be another key to cleansing the land. If we can get rid of that evil pool and stop the flow of daemons from coming out, then everything will be alright.” Noct says, full of hope. 

Gladio first looks incredulous but the with affection and ruffles the teen’s hair. _“That actually may be it, good job kid.”_ he says and then lets out a soft snort at the cheeky look flashed at him, leaning down and giving the boy a quick peck to the tip of his nose, getting a grumble in return before he presses a tender one to his lips. _“You can be such a brat at times, you know.”_

“Yeah, I know, it’s part of my charm though.” he says and gets a loud snort from the ghost. “I just need to let Luna know when she gets back, don’t want to bug her while she’s visiting her mom and too the time difference makes it hard.” Noct says and then looks up at Gladio, smiling deeply and then hugging him around his middle. “I missed this so much. Please let me stay tonight, I’ll hunker down in the middle room. Or hell, the crawlspace.”

_“We’ll see. We should first go talk to Ignis, have you both apologize to one another and then we’ll all sit and talk.”_

“Yeah, okay.” Noct says and nods, heading over to scoop up the planters to place around the property.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for being a slug with this, and giving the plot another push to get things into gear. Sorry if it seems haphazard, I feel like I'm losing my edge. :C

Noctis awakens feeling refreshed now that he finally gets to sleep in his own bed after what felt like forever. He was allowed to stay in the hexed room for the weekend after much pleading and setting the planters in specific entry points around the house, while also promising that if any daemon did breach the house he would leave again without issue until it is truly deemed safe. 

And it was. A few daemons had attempted to enter the house, only to hiss and scurry away as the flowers began to glow, then were shot down by Prompto. This greatly calmed the tension in the house, even when noticing that some of the flowers began wilting after glowing for a while, that then returned to their former vibrance when the spring water was sprinkled on them. 

The teen sits up and stretches before turning to the invisible mass laying next to him, feeling around until he feels the telltale scruff of his ghost beau. A gentle kiss is placed against Gladio’s cheek, that being easier then trying to kiss his lips, at least until the ghost solves that issue by making himself visible and pulling Noct into a tender kiss. 

He still feels butterflies in his stomach and his cheeks heat up whenever they do this, even though it’s been going on for a while now. However, something else has been popping into his mind; some very interesting dreams too; as of late but he doesn't know how to broach the subject, plus he believes Gladio won't take to the idea anyway. 

_“What are your plans for the day?”_ Gladio asks, rubbing his finger over the teen’s cheek.

“I have couple more finals this morning, not for my afternoon class though, I have a hundred in that one so I don’t need the test. Afterwards I was thinking of swinging by the costume shop, see if anything catches my eye.” he says and smiles sheepishly. “Maybe I’ll find something for the three of you.”

The ghost sits up and pokes Noctis on the nose. _“Nah, not interested. And besides, I think our glaive uniforms are extravagant enough.”_

“Guess so.” he says and gets up from the bed too. “I’m going to take my shower now, see you in a bit.”

_“Don’t forget to take care of your little problem kid.” _Gladio says in a teasing manner that gets him a scowl from the boy.__

__But upon looking down at his front does Noctis get the older man’s gist and gasps in embarrassment, dashing into the bathroom and out of the bemused sight of the once shield._ _

__Noct heads downstairs to enjoy a nice breakfast prepared by Ignis with Prompto’s help, the sandy-haired ghost seeming rather calmer than he has been as of late. The two apologized to one another before Ignis got all his fears off his chest, which Noctis understood why he felt this way, but assured him that things were going to be better with all the new knowledge he has gathered. The ghost reluctantly agreed and promised he would reign in his worriment with the teen saying he won’t act so reckless and stubborn anymore._ _

__Noctis collects up his bag and prepares to leave, only to stop and stare curiously as the three ghosts huddle together by the bay window with Gladio and Prompto glancing out on occasions as they listen to Ignis speak, the man looking as though he’s issuing orders._ _

__He just shrugs his shoulders and sets the glasses down, then heads off to do his semester finals all the while thinking of what type of costume he wants to wear. Maybe he should contact Crowe and have her help, she does have a good eye when it comes to that stuff. Yeah, he’ll shoot her a text once he’s done with his final._ _

__The older woman gets back to him a while later, agreeing to meet up with him since she needs some more materials and crafts. He flies through the rest of his tests, knowing full well he passed each, and is allowed to leave early so he sends a text to Crowe giving her a heads up he’s leaving._ _

__Upon arriving at the costume shop though, he realizes it won’t be as fun as he thought it was going to be as he sees two grinning trolls staring at him with fox-like grins. Noct looks to Crowe with minor annoyance, her just giving an apologetic smile and shrug._ _

__“What do you think of this one Noct?” Nyx asks as he holds up a costume, shit eating grin on his face. “Sexy Nurse?”_ _

__“Hell no!” Noctis snaps as he sorts through a rack of jackets._ _

__“How about a cute kitty?” This time it is Libertus who presents a costume and while not slutty like the ones Nyx picks out, they’re just as bad and gets shot down immediately._ _

__“Gothic Lolita?” the other man chuckles and holds up the frilly black dress._ _

__“Here’s a rainbow unicorn.”_ _

__“No! No skanky and no cutesy!”_ _

__“How about scary?” Crowe asks while holding up a makeup kit that depicts different designs for skulls._ _

__“Hmm, maybe.” the teen says and goes back sorting through the rack until his face lights up. “Oh, this is nice.” He holds up a red jacket with black lapels and chrome buttons, looking it over before a thought strikes. “I got it!”_ _

__Noctis rushes off gleefully, collecting an assortment of accessories that when put together make a complete costume. His three friends begin to scrutinize what he collected and add a few more baubles to the outfit before two of the three nod in agreement._ _

__“Something wrong Crowe?” Noctis asks, furrowing his brow._ _

__“This costume is going to need something to really make it pop.” she says and looks around, before grinning ear to ear. “Ah, those would work.”_ _

__Crowe goes to a wall where masks and hats are hung up, selecting three from the wall and bringing them over._ _

__“I don’t think they’ll wear those.” the boy says, eying the items._ _

__“I think they will.” Nyx begins and pinches Noctis’ cheek. “Just ask them nicely and tell them they’ll fit with your costume, also that it will make you greatly happy. I’m sure they can’t say no.” he says and gives the teen a nudge and a wink. “Especially your boyfriend.”_ _

__Noct swats the man’s shoulder and gets a laugh from him, but then gives the items another look over before smiling and nodding. “Yeah, I guess so, these will go well with my costume.”_ _

__“All right, now the three of us just need to grab similar things and we’ll all have a theme. Oh and Luna too.” Crowe chirps and grabs the two older males._ _

__The teen looks at his collected pieces plus the three items for the others, feeling a sense of excitement wash over him. He says goodbye to his friends and returns home, keeping the costume and items in his trunk for the time being._ _

___“Heya buddy!”_ Prompto beams as soon as the teen walks through the door, scooping him up into the air._ _

__“Hey, what’s got you in such a good mood?”_ _

__The blonde grins ear to ear and floats them towards the back door. _“I’ll show you.”__ _

__Noctis raises a brow as the two head out, then he gasps in surprise at what he sees. Planted in a row down the entirety of the fence line, were the blue flowers from the hallowed ground, with Gladio gently packing down the soil as Ignis sprinkles water over them._ _

__“This,” Noctis begins, gets over his shock and awe, and smiles deeply. “this is amazing you guys!” Prompto sets them both down, the teen immediately bounding over and looking at the flowers planted with glee. “How did you come up with this?”_ _

__Gladio stands and instinctively wipes his hands on his coat even though they’re not dirty, then lays his hand on the teen's black mop and gives it a playful tousle. _“It was Ignis’ idea.”__ _

__Noct looks to the scarred ghost with a wide smile, the man rubbing his finger up the bridge of his nose. “That’s awesome Iggy!”_ _

__“Well, not quite yet. We just need to see how well this keeps the daemons at bay.” he says and lets a rare smile form on his lips. _“Then it will be, as you said, awesome.”_ _ _

__The teen goes to the older man and hugs him tightly, feeling him stiffen slightly before settling and patting the boy’s back gently. Noctis releases him and turns back to the row of flowers, feeling a great sense of serenity radiating from them as well as a feeling of hope that things will work out, that they are finally gaining an advantage in protecting the house and possibly cleansing the area._ _

__A hand on his shoulder snaps him out of his head, looking back at Gladio who smiles at him and pulls him gently against his front that makes the teen look around worriedly._ _

___“Prompto and Ignis are back in the house, going to start preparing dinner for you.”_ _ _

__“Okay then.” he says and lets himself relax more in the man’s hold._ _

___“So what did you pick out?”_ _ _

__“It’s a surprise.” he says and gets poked in his side, making him wiggle about and chuckle. “It’s nothing indecent or childish.”_ _

___“Sure.”_ _ _

__“I’m telling the truth.” Noct frowns and looks away until he is levitated off the ground, gasping softly._ _

__The two men float to the large branch of the willow tree, Gladio sitting and pulling Noctis onto his lap, hugging him and looking out across the forest. The young boy reclines back into his lover, sighing contently and closing his eyes, letting his mind wander as he feels a breeze caress across his face and the comforting presence by him._ _

___“Your heart’s more rapidly lately and your body temperature has been rising.”_ Gladio says and looks at the teen whose face has begun to flush. _“Something on your mind?”__ _

__“N, no. Not really.” he lies and bites his lower lip, chancing a quick glance at the older man and seeing him look incredulously. “Okay, maybe something but it’s nothing of great importance.”_ _

___“Noct, part of being in a relationship means we can talk to each other about things. It’s not all hugs and kisses you know.”_ _ _

__“I know.” Noctis says, his face going a darker shade of red as he turns to face the ghost. “It’s just, I don’t know how to explain it.”_ _

___“Is it something to do with your morning issue?”_ _ _

____“No!”_ _ _ _

____It was, but he still wasn’t going to just blurt out to the specter that he’s been having sex dreams about them, or that he is maybe just a little bit curious about it. He knows Gladio will probably just laugh at him then proceed to tease him, although a small part is afraid he’ll get angry especially since they haven’t really progressed much intimately._ _ _ _

____While there is all the cuddles, they only ever just kiss, chastely too, and they hadn’t even used the ‘L’ word yet. Noctis isn’t even sure they should. Even though he does have genuine feelings for the older man and it seems the other does as well, he knows they won’t be together forever and while it will hurt when Gladio is gone, he thinks telling him he loves him will make it worse. Although, the regret of not saying or doing anything could eat away at him for the rest of his life, forever lamenting over not experiencing all he could. This was making his head hurt thinking about it, maybe he could speak to Luna once she gets back, see what her opinion on the matter is._ _ _ _

_____“Noct?”_ Gladio says in a sing-songy voice and boops the teen’s nose, chuckling at his grumpy look. _“It looked like your brain was about to go to mush.”__ _ _ _

____“Just thinking of some things that I’m going to talk to Luna about.”_ _ _ _

_____“Like what?”_ _ _ _ _

____“Just things.” he says and yips before letting out a little laugh as Gladio pokes at his sides._ _ _ _

____Noctis rests himself against Gladio’s front, snuggling down into the man’s hold as he wraps his arms around him. His head is tilted up after Gladio rests a thick finger under his chin, receiving a kiss to his forehead, followed by the tip of his nose and then his lips. The beating of his heart increases tenfold and his body heats up as the fluttering returns, along with some other feelings._ _ _ _

____Cold chapped lips press against his again but this time the teen subconsciously parts his lips, feeling as Gladio stills momentarily before moving in closer and deepening the kiss. Rough and cold hands caress across his cheek before moving one to hold the back of the teen’s head while the other rests against his back. Noctis wraps his arms around Gladio’s neck and turns to face him completely, sitting on his lap so they are face to face. Their kisses are still tender but with a small amount of carnal desire seeping forth that grows even more when a cold tongue delves into the teen’s mouth, startling him momentarily before he reciprocates._ _ _ _

____“Gladio,” Noctis says says against the older man’s lips, them stopping their actions for a moment. The young boy looks up at his lover, cheeks flushed and lips red. “once I talk to Luna and know what to say, I’ll let you know what I was thinking about. Okay?”_ _ _ _

_____”Okay.”_ the former shield says and presses a gentle kiss to the teen’s lips, then pulls him against his chest and holds him lovingly. _ _ _ _

____Noct feels his heart thump even faster and a smile spread across his face._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the words of encouragement, they helped me out a lot. Not much with this chapter, besides Noctis being a flustered teenage dork. (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖) I should probably start getting my dumpster livable again.

Noctis waits eagerly outside the little cafe Luna is going to meet him at, her arriving any minute with some good news and a ‘gift’ as she put it. Most of all though, he knows what to ask her and has built up the courage to do so. Now only if she would hurry up and get there. Ten more minutes pass; with Noct ingesting another tart he shouldn’t have eaten and drank another iced coffee which he didn’t need, all the while reading a pamphlet about the upcoming parade and carnival. Luna then finally arrives toting a large cloth bag with a bright smile on her face. 

“You look chipper today.” he says and stands to give her a big hug.

“I could say the same for you.” Luna says and gives him a knowing glint. “You look like the cat who ate the canary, something new and exciting perhaps?”

“Sort of, we’ll talk more about that in a bit. For now, I wanna see what you brought back and hear what you found out.”

“Do you want the news or to see the glasses first?”

“Glasses.” Noctis says giddily. His eyes widen with excitement as she takes a case from her bag and then hands them to him. Upon opening them, he gasps. “Holy shit, these look awesome.”

The glasses are now much smaller and already have the correct colored lens in place to allow the viewing of the spirits, them looking like a normal pair of tinted glasses instead of something from a B-rate science fiction flick. He places them on and looks around, finding them not as cumbersome or headache inducing as the other pair. But the surprise isn't done yet, for she takes out two more pairs.

“Some extras in case you get clumsy.” Luna says and smiles. “Now for what I was able to find out. I take it the ghosts explained about the Starscourge?”

“Yeah, old me had to sacrifice himself to bring an end to it.”

“Correct and there was also a line of Oracles who would purify the people infected at the expense of their own health. And once the last of them died, that is when the Starscourge became worse and darkness encompassed the world. That is who I came from.”

Noctis slightly pales and furrows his brows. “Does that mean you will make yourself sick purifying the property? And that I have to-”

“Oh no no, nothing like that.” Luna says easing the boy’s nerves. “Neither of us have powers like that, although I believe we could acquire similar powers.”

“Uh, you said we wouldn’t-”

“Let me finish first. I have an idea, it may be a stretch but it may just work. That hallowed ground in the forest, if you and I were able to harness its powers, together we may be able to make it spread out further.”

“So use the magic power that lies there, try to maybe cure the area all the way up to that gross daemon spawning pool? Then somehow get rid of it?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, sorry Lu, but that sounds too far-fetched and impossible. Not to mention how could we even handle a power like that? I mean you may be able to but not me, the guys said the King’s power came from a crystal.” 

“Oh, I know, I read up on that.”

“Yeah, and-” He stops and notices the devious look on his friends face. “Luna, what’d you do? Nothing illegal I hope.”

“Well let’s say I was able to borrow an old artifact for a while.” the blonde says sheepishly and takes out a glass case. 

Noctis looks in wonderment at the shard inside the case, the color a dark blue that appears almost black. He reaches out his hand only to stop and gasp as a purplish light pulses from its core. 

“That’s-”

“A piece of the crystal from long ago, gifted to the Lucis Caelum royal family line.” Luna begins to smile. “That was the first time that crystal has ever lit up.”

The teen bites his lip and turns his hand over, letting her set the case onto his palm. Sure enough, the crystal begins to pulse again.

“Amazing.” he says and feels a tingling sensation wash through his entire body, his heart pounding rapidly and stomach knotting that goes away when he hands it back to her. “Okay, that makes me a little more hopeful.”

“It’s the only real lead and option we have.” Luna says and begins to grin again. “Well, that’s all that I have, now your turn.

“Oh.” Noct turns a deep shade of red and clears his throat, feeling apprehensive again and losing some of his courage. “Well you see, I umm have been getting some strange feelings and having very vivid dreams about something, err someone. And I want your advice on how to umm broach the subject since you and uh Nyx have, ya know.”

Luna begins to laugh, making the teen blush deeply. “Oh my, you are just too precious for your own good sometimes. I have to say though, if you can’t outright say it, then you may not be ready yet Noctis.”

The teen takes a deep breath and relaxes before looking at his friend, cheeks still rosy. “I want to take things further with Gladio when he returns to the living for a time since we may never get another chance and I don’t want to have another regret eating away at me.”

“Further as in how?” she says teasingly.

“Ugh! Fine, I want to ask about sex. Happy?”

“Oh Noctis. You really are too precious.” Luna chuckles but then takes on her big sister persona. “First you need to make sure it is something you absolutely want to do, then talk to Gladio about it. Explain it to him in a proper way how you feel and why you want to engage in relations with him. If he says no, then that’s his decision and you respect it. It will hurt if he rejects you and sadly similar situations may arise later on in life, you just have to keep your spirits up and keep on living. That’s what you do as an adult.”

“Oh, okay. So umm, what if he says yes?”

“Then you both need to sit down and talk about the things you do or don’t want to do. Also, you both being male means there will be more preparation before anything else goes down, so do some research. And who knows, you may decide you don’t want to go all the way and instead just lay in bed together, gently caressing one another and showering kisses all over.” she says with a serene face despite the subject matter. “Sometimes that can be even more passionate and exhilarating. So all in all Noctis, you just need to talk to him, and don’t be a shy rambling dork.”

“I’ll try. Thanks, Luna.” he says, cheeks still flushed. 

The two continue to chat for another hour while enjoying lunch before the teen takes the glasses and heads back home. He pulls into the driveway and remains in the car, his mind racing with the thoughts of his and Luna’s conversation. He knows he is ready and wants to do this, so now he just needs to talk to Gladio. Noctis exits the vehicle and makes his way to the house, putting the new glasses on and then heads inside finding the three lazing about on his couches chatting like a group of women in a sewing circle. 

“You all seem in a good mood.” he says and snorts as they flinch in surprise that he can see them. Noct grins and points to the glasses. “Check these babies out, cool huh?”

_“Wow! They are cool.”_ Prompto says and plucks them off the teen, him jumping up and trying to grab them from the levitating ghost. _“I wonder who she got to make these?”_ he says and then grimaces. _“Verstael?”_

_“Possibly.”_ Ignis says and retrieves the glasses, taking a quick look at them and hands them back. _“They're well made, hopefully, they can withstand blunt force.”_

_“Well let's just hope nothing goes for his baby face anymore.”_ Gladio teases and pinches the teen’s nose, giving it a little shake.

Noctis swats his hand. “Jerk.” 

_“So did Lunafreya have any other information?”_ Ignis asks.

“Yeah but let's talk later about it, I wanna relax for a bit. It was a lot of information to take in.”

_“All right, would you like something to eat or did you have something there?”_

“Oh uh,” Noctis thinks for a second. “I had something light while I waited, so I am a bit hungry.” 

_“I'll start making you something then.”_

_“I’ll help.”_ Prompto says and follows after the other ghost. 

Noctis feels his heart begin to pound in his chest and his hands become clammy. He reaches his hand out and tugs on Gladio’s pinky to get his attention, then gestures for him to follow. The two head out back and go stand by the koi pond, the teen taking a calming breath and going to speak until he is scooped up and levitated up to the branch by the older spirit. 

_“So what’s up?”_

“Umm, well I talked things over with Luna and she pep talked me so I know I’m ready to talk.” he says and turns slightly red. “It’s about Friday.”

_“Oh, yeah, the party. I was actually thinking about something about that day too.”_

“You did?” Noct says with surprise, is Gladio planning something for them? “What is it?”

_“You first, tell me what’s on your mind.”_

“No, you go ahead. It may be the same thing as me and it’d save me becoming a flustered mess.” he says and chuckles nervously.

A soft smile forms on the man’s face. _“Remember how you said if you couldn’t have a party, me and you should go on a date?”_

“Y, yeah?”

_“Well, I thought that maybe we still could. Ignis will be so distracted making appetizers and cleaning up to even notice if we leave for a bit. We could go get something to eat and talk a walk.”_ he says and grins, booping the boy’s nose. _“Have that moonlight kiss. Just an official date, move the relationship a step further.”_

Noctis feels as though time froze, with feelings of extreme guilt and embarrassment washing over him. Here he was thinking of skipping right to sex, while Gladio wants to take it slow and do something romantic with him. He could have possibly screwed up and made Gladio uncomfortable, possibly get mad at him. He was such a childish, selfish, idiot.

_“So what do you think? So good?”_

“Yeah, yeah that sounds great. I’d love that.”

_“So was that what you were thinking about?”_

“Well, not really but your idea sounds way better.” he says, trying not to look down. 

_“What was it?”_

“It’s nothing.” 

_“Noct.”_ Gladio says with a deep commanding tone. 

The teen drops his head, racking his brain for what to say. “It’s umm, I was thinking you and I could go watch the parade they have in town before the party starts. But I was afraid you’d call me a baby and make fun of me for wanting to go.”

_“Nah, that sounds like it would be fun. I used to go to those with my baby sister all the time. We could do that and then have our date. Could tell Prompto and Iggy we’re going to pick up some more snacks and other shit.”_

“Okay, let’s do that.” he says and smiles. “Let’s go on a date.”

Gladio places a finger under Noct’s chin and tips his head up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before the teen parts his lips and gives the cold tongue access. While it wasn’t really what he had in mind, the thought of going on his first ever date with someone he loves makes his heart skip a beat. Who knows, he may still get a chance later on, there was no guarantee things would be resolved so soon. It could take another year or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to put the next chapter up, again. Couldn't really figure out how to take this chapter, hopefully it's okay.

The day finally arrived, the one Noctis can’t wait to come around each year; the Nocturne Festival. Although this year would probably be his most cherished of all since his ghostly roommates, more specifically his boyfriend, return to the living and will party with him and his friends. Plus if everything goes well, the date. 

Noctis stands before his mirror adding the last touches to his makeup before stepping back and viewing the completed costume. He runs his hands down the side of his frock coat to smooth out the wrinkles and makes sure none of the gear buckles have fallen off. Satisfied with it, Noct grabs up his top hat and fastens the old-fashioned goggles to the brim before placing the hat atop his head. 

_“Hmm, very nice.”_ Gladio says from where he stands in the doorway, looking the teen up and down. _“I remember one of the old occupants being stuff like this, steamboat or something.”_

Noct chuckles. “Steampunk. Did you guys have anything similar?”

 _“Sort of, more old Noct’s and Prompto's schtick though, huge dorks those two.”_

_“You’re a great one to talk Mr. Cup Noodle Book Nerd.”_ Prompto snaps back and gives the older ghost a playful shove, getting pulled into a headlock for the deed.

Noctis chuckles and then looks over at the bag from the costume shop, chewing on his lower lip and debating on how to ask the ghosts to wear the masks. Plead with puppy eyes? Guilt them? Just ask nicely?

“Hey umm,” Noctis begins, getting the attention of the two. “I got something for uh, the three of you. It goes with my costume.”

The specters look in question at each other and shrug, turning back to the teen.

 _“Okay, what is it?”_ Gladio asks.

Noct retrieves the bag and pulls out a mask, showing it to them with a pleading look. “Would you, please?”

 _”Noct,”_ Prompto’s eyebrows furrow in question. _“a lion’s mane?”_

“Yeah, I have a monkey and an elephant too. I am a ringmaster, so having animals would complete the costume.” 

_“You can dress Carbuncle up.” _Gladio tells him.__

__“I did, I took a black coat and top hat off a teddy bear for him to wear. He looks like a dapper gentleman.” the teen says with a big grin. “So, please you guys?”_ _

__Gladio and Prompto look incredulously at the costume pieces, making Noct frown, then Ignis flits into the room and cocks his head to the side._ _

___“Something wrong?”_ _ _

__“Oh, uh, I bought masks for you three to wear, they go with mine. They’re animal masks.”_ _

__The ghost purses his lips and furrows his brows. _“What type of animals?”__ _

__“Umm, a lion, elephant, and monkey.”_ _

__Ignis taps a finger against his chin in thought then nods. _“Very well, it is just for a day.”__ _

__“Thanks, Ignis!” Noctis cheers and hands out the masks to the three ghosts._ _

__The four head off to set up for the coming party, with Ignis making treats and mixed drinks while the other two ghosts hang up decorations that are out of reach for the teen. Noctis sets up the stereo system and makes sure there is enough room for people to move around along with dancing uninhibited. He takes a glance at the clock, seeing it’s mid-afternoon and grows excited knowing that soon it will become dark, his party will begin, but most of all the ghosts become mortal. A flash of light startles him momentarily until he hears chuckling coming from the blonde ghost._ _

___“Sorry buddy, you looked so serene I had to get a picture. Looky, even used a sepia tone filter on it.”_ Prompto says and shoves the camera in the teen’s face._ _

__“Looks nice, we’ll have to get a photo of all of us later.”_ _

___”Yeah!” Prompto cheers and levitates into the air only to crash back down with a grunt. _”The hell?”__ _ _

___“You all right?” Noctis asks, looking with concern at the ghost._ _ _

____”Yeah, just got taken by surprise. Never had that happen when floating.”_ _ _ _

___There’s a thud on the other side of the wall followed by a huff and grumble with Ignis moving through the open arch rubbing his face._ _ _

____”That was quite odd.”_ _ _ _

___“Do you think it’s due to it becoming darker? That you’re becoming mortal?” Noctis asks, a giddy grin forming on his face._ _ _

____“Possibly.”_ Ignis says. _“We haven’t been awake on this day in decades, so I can’t really say when it truly starts.”__ _ _

___A grin forms on Noctis’ face and he dashes from the room, hunting for the largest of the three ghosts and upon finding him bear hugs him tightly._ _ _

____“What’s up with you, groper?”_ _ _ _

___The teen presses against him more flush, feeling a slight warmth coming from his usually cold body, it feels weird yet comforting._ _ _

____“What is going on?”_ Ignis asks as he steps into the room with Prompto, his brows furrowing and head slightly tilting. _ _ _

___“It’s starting to happen.” Noct says and nuzzles into the back of Gladio’s coat. “You’re becoming real.”_ _ _

___Prompto pats about at his body, then leaps up and grunts as he drops back down. _“Heh, seems like it.”__ _ _

___Noctis removes the glasses and earpiece, looking around with intrigue and grinning ear to ear when he sees a faint silhouette of the three starting to form. His excitement is curtailed when he hears his doorbell ring, the teen heading to his front door where he is greeted by his friends all dressed up and rearing to party._ _ _

___“Sup little dude?” Nyx chuckles and pokes the teen’s cheeks before walking in with bags of goodies. “Where do you want these?”_ _ _

___“I shall take them.” a voice says that startles the brunette._ _ _

___The group looks towards where the voice came from, finding an older sandy blonde with heavy scarring standing in the doorway leading to the side room where two other men peek out. Noctis can’t help but cheer loudly and fling himself at the ghosts, glomping onto the three and hugging them._ _ _

___“You’re all real now!” he says and nudges the three. “Now go put your masks on now and let's get ready to party before more guests arrive!”_ _ _

___“Wait, there are more people coming?” Ignis asks looking harried as he’s dragged away by Prompto. “Is there even enough nourishments? How many more?”_ _ _

___“Geez, chill Iggy. If we need anything we’ll head out and get it.” Gladio says, flashing a quick smile to the teen and making him blush._ _ _

___Yeah, that’s right, the date._ _ _

___Eventually, more guests stumble in, some of them acquaintances Noct knows through his older friends and a few he’s meeting for the first time. Ignis is, of course, right there to greet everyone and question them, the partygoers finding him more amusing than annoying especially with the elephant mask he has on. Prompto, in his monkey mask, has become the party darling and designated photog for anyone who wants to post a quick picture. He’s also a bit of a selfie whore. Gladio mingles with the older crowd who hover by the keg on the back porch, getting coos from some of the women who unashamedly pets his lion’s mane._ _ _

___Noct is so not jealous and Nyx can shove his teasing up his ass._ _ _

___Six rolls around and Noctis huffs slightly from where he sits petting Carbuncle on his front porch, not much enjoying himself. While he had danced with Crowe and Luna and hung out with some of the guests, the three former ghosts haven’t interacted with him one bit like they promised and when he tries to join in with whatever they are doing, he either finds it boring or shooed away for being too young. He knows he should be happy they are enjoying their current mortality, he just wanted to be a part of it. But since the adults are all mingling amongst themselves, he’ll just be a kid and go get some candy._ _ _

___Noctis trots down his street, waving to his neighbors that are out with their kids and getting compliments on his costume while they also fawn over Carbuncle. The teen eventually finds himself a few blocks away from his house in a little suburb that is bursting with energetic kids and teens his age._ _ _

___“Well hello there.” a deep and familiar voice says._ _ _

___Noctis turns and sees a person dressed head to toe as a knight, along with a dog wearing a dragon costume. “Uhh, hi?”_ _ _

___The man chuckles. “Ah, that’s right, we never met face to face. Well, mask to face paint. It’s Aster.”_ _ _

___“Oh! Pet Shop Guy!” Noctis says, face lighting up._ _ _

___The young man snorts. “Yup, that’s me. Recognized your dog. So you out getting candy too?”_ _ _

___The teen blushes and fidgets with the satchel over his shoulder. “No, just taking a walk, looking at the decorations. You live around here?”_ _ _

___“No, my sister has friends around here and she says there’s better candy to be gotten in the area. I live on the other side of the burbs.”_ _ _

___“I live back that way.”_ _ _

___“Oh yeah, your mom said you lived in that big ass place everyone says is haunted.”_ _ _

___Noctis just forces a coy smile. “Yeah, haven’t seen none of that.”_ _ _

___“Well, that’s good to know. Me and a few friends used to ride our bikes down to the house, felt like someone was watching us from the attic. My bud Hector got so freaked he pissed himself.” he laughs but stops when he notices the grossed out look from the teen. “Err, sorry.”_ _ _

___“It’s okay, so uh-”_ _ _

___“Noct!?”_ _ _

___Both young men flinch at the loud booming voice, turning to see Gladio scanning the large gathering of kids, brows knitted in frustration._ _ _

___“Uh, I think that huge dude’s looking for you. I’ll catch you later.”_ _ _

___“Yeah, okay.” Noct says and watches as the guy dashes away just as Gladio walks over._ _ _

___“Why the hell did you run off on your own? You should have said something we could have gone together.”_ _ _

___“You seemed to be enjoying yourself just fine without me.” Noctis huffs and then frowns when he realizes he sounds childish and petty. “Sorry.”_ _ _

___“No, I’m sorry.” Gladio says and fusses with the lion's mane. “Got so into hanging out and drinking with actual people I got distracted.”_ _ _

___“Yeah, I understand that and you should be able to enjoy yourself without me being a brat about it.”_ _ _

___“Well, that’s normal for you and you are a kid.”_ _ _

___“Asshole.”_ _ _

___“Yeah, yeah.” he chuckles and then smiles softly. “So you up for that date? Wanna go get a bite to eat?”_ _ _

___“Not really hungry but we can go for a walk, maybe stop by the park where we first got together?” Noctis asks and takes hold of Gladio’s hand._ _ _

___“Sounds good.”_ _ _

___The two walk silently, holding hands and enjoying the nice crisp air. They arrive at the playground and Noctis runs over to the tower, climbing up it and waving for Gladio to follow._ _ _

___“Don’t think I’ll be able to fit up there now that I’m solid.” he says and looks towards the lake. “Gate’s open, let's go stand on the docks.”_ _ _

___Noctis slides down the slide and rushes over, heading out onto the docks with the large man, them standing close and looking up at the sky._ _ _

___“So how do you feel?”_ _ _

___“Oddly enough, no different than normal. Well, there is a slight pain in my chest and I feel bouts of grief that I’d have to walk away for a bit to take breathers through. That’s actually how I noticed you gone.”_ _ _

___“How are the other two?”_ _ _

___“Same, we all met up in your room and talked, Prompto cried, and then Ignis went to go mother you once he realized none of us had spent much time with you.”_ _ _

___“Ah, did he freak bad?”_ _ _

___“He almost flipped a couch over because it got in his warpath.”_ _ _

___Noctis cringes. “Maybe we should head back now.”_ _ _

___“Nah, he’s fine. Nyx and Crowe got him to settle with some shots.”_ _ _

___The teen snuggles up against the larger man, wrapping his arms around his and resting his head against him, then looks up at the sky and smiles. “It’s so clear out, you can see so many stars.”_ _ _

___“Yeah, used to love sitting out by the campfire with the guys and just watching the sky.” he says and frowns. “I do miss those times.” Gladio sighs deeply and furrows his brows, eyes becoming watery. “So many memories.”_ _ _

___“Gladio?” Noct asks with concern, looking up at his lover who has tears rolling down his cheeks. He releases his hold on his arm and reaches up, cupping his hands against Gladio’s cheeks and pulling him down. Their lips press together tenderly before parting them and deepening the kiss, tongues slipping into each other's mouths and dancing around until they pull apart. “Just think of the fun you had today at the party, make new memories.”_ _ _

___“I’ll try.” he says and grins. “Ah, yeah that’s right. They wanted me to play strip beer pong with them later.” Gladio chuckles and grins cheekily. “Who knows, I may actually have to get naked and dance then.”_ _ _

___Noctis bites his lip as his cheeks turn red, remembering what he had talked about with Luna._ _ _

___“Noct? Are you having naughty thoughts?”_ _ _

___“I umm,” he stutters and looks down. “n, never mind, it’s dumb and childish.”_ _ _

___“Come on, tell me.” he chuckles and pokes at the teen, making him giggle. “You wanna see my sexy bod and dance moves.”_ _ _

___“Are you drunk or something still?”_ _ _

___“Nah.” Gladio says and grins widely. “Just living it up, letting myself enjoy all this. Doing things I usually wouldn't or couldn’t before. May not get another chance.”_ _ _

___“May not get another chance?” Noctis mumbles under his breath._ _ _

___“Noctis?”_ _ _

___“Umm, you remember when I said I needed to talk to Luna about something and then when I knew what to say, I’d tell you?” he asks and gets a nod. The teen takes a deep breath and turns to the former shield. “I, I’ve been thinking this over for a while now and I umm didn’t think you would agree but I just want to get it out.” he says and turns a deep red._ _ _

___“Yeah?”_ _ _

___“I want t, to take things a step further,” he says and looks down at his feet. “with you.”_ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took long, having some issues as of late that's kind of hampered my mood with writing my bigger fics. Thank you and hope you enjoy this, something special is coming up. (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)ﾉ⌒♡

Noctis doesn’t even realize he’s holding his breath as he waits for Gladio’s response, dread slowly filling him the longer it takes for the man to answer. And by the look on his face, it doesn’t appear good.

“Noct I-” Gladio stammers out, face slightly red and eyes widened in shock. 

The teen feels his heart sink and anxiety ramp up. “N, never mind. Just forget I said anything, it was stupid.”

“It’s, it’s not stupid, just,” he mutters and clears his throat. “it took me off guard. So that’s what’s been on your mind?”

Noctis blushes embarrassedly. “Yeah, sorry. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear or think about but it’s just, umm.” Noct bites his lip and looks up at the older man. “I really like you Gladio and I never felt this way about anyone before, or maybe will ever again. So if I were to have my first time with someone, I want it to be with you.”

“I umm-” Gladio furrows his brows, pursing his lips and goes to speak again. “I need some time to think about this.” 

“Oh, okay.” Noct says and fidgets about embarrassedly before looking up at the sky, seeing how an overcast covers the moon. “We should head back.”

“Umm, yeah, sure.”

The two leave the park, an air of awkwardness surrounding them. Noctis slowly starts feeling terrible and depressed, knowing he just did something greatly stupid. However, those feelings begin to dissipate when he feels Gladio’s warm large hand encapsulate his and holds it tenderly as they return home. 

As soon as the teen steps foot in the door, he is pounced upon by Ignis and Prompto, the two men apologizing for ignoring him and dragging him off to party with them. Noct glances around for Gladio when he can, seeing the man back outside with the group from before but he seems to have stopped drinking. Eventually, he disappears and Noctis has no clue to where, until Luna taps his shoulder and pulls him aside with a smile on her face.

“So I heard you asked him.”

Noctis sucks in a breath and turns a deep shade of red. “I uh, yeah but how-”

“He came and talked to me about it.” she says and titters. “For a man his age he is quite clumsy and awkward, kind of like you.” 

“Gee thanks, Luna.”

The older woman chuckles and takes hold of his cheeks. “Just remember what I said, if he ultimately decides against it, don’t get angry or overly upset with him. You’re an adult making decisions and you need to act like one if things don’t turn out well.”

“I know.”

“Good. Now go enjoy your party.” she says and nudges him towards a group of people dancing.

Noctis lets out a soft sigh and attempts to join in with the dancers, however, he finds himself becoming anxious, not really knowing many of them and being crowded upon. He flees to the other end of the downstairs and stumbles across the other two now mortal men, clinging to their sides and calming himself. 

“Should I request that everyone leave, Noct?” Ignis asks, rubbing the teen’s back.

“No it’s fine, just felt a bit claustrophobic.”

“Yeah, feel ya there buddy. Being stuck in a cramped space for too long gave me panic attacks.”

“And yet you and Noctis would sneak away to those clubs with all the loud music, strobe lights, and violent dancing.” 

“Those were all Noct’s idea, the places I chose were way better.” Prompto retorts with a huff.

“They were just as loud and filled with people with hair that looked like characters from those video games you two would play.”

Prompto rolls his eyes as Noctis chuckles. Though he starts to feel a minor jealousy that the old him was able to enjoy things like this, it wasn’t like he didn’t do fun things with Luna and the others, it was that they were all so much older than him and could do so much more while he just sat in the back drinking soda or tea. 

His phone begins to vibrate, signaling he just got a message, and when he checks it he can’t help but coo and get weird looks from the other two men.

“What’s up?”

“Someone I started talking with recently, he sends me cute pictures of puppies.” he says, a smile growing wider as he looks at the picture. 

Ignis looks with intrigue at this, his face morphing into one that mirrors the teen’s mother when she’s in her meddling mode. “A young man you say? Close to your age? Does he have a good job? Is he by chance looking for a place to stay? What’s his n-”

“Iggy,” Gladio groans as he steps into the room. “quit interrogating the kid.” he says and gives Noctis a soft nudge. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Noctis looks up at him with a momentary bout of confusion before he remembers what he had asked and turns red. “Oh, uh yeah.” 

The two men head upstairs and go into the teen’s room, Gladio locking the door behind him and sighing deeply as he goes to take a seat on the bed. Noctis gnaws on his lip and hesitates before moving to Gladio’s side on the bed. The two sit silently, before Gladio sighs and looks to the teen. 

“I gave some thought to what you said and talked with your friend.” he says and furrows his brows. “Are you absolutely sure this is something you want to do?”

Noctis feels his stomach knot and heart thump rapidly. “I do.”

“I may not be able to become hard.”

“I know, I still want to try and if you can’t,” he says and smiles bashfully. “there are other ways we can be intimate with one another.”

A warm rough hand rests against his cheek, Gladio looking at him with furrowed brows and lips in a tight thin line that makes the teen’s stomach clench. A tender smile replaces the pensive one.

“All right.”

Noctis looks wide-eyed at the older man, his heart thumping rapidly and feeling as though it’s about to burst out. Gladio leans in and presses a quick kiss to the teen’s lips before standing, getting a confused look from him.

“There are some things we need to do first. You’ll need to remove your face paint and I’ll need to go to that convenience store down the road.”

Noctis’ cheeks dust pink once he realizes just what Gladio is getting, but he scoots off the bed and fishes inside his nightstand, pulling out some cash that he hands over. He cups his hands against the older man’s face and gives him a quick kiss before retreating to his bathroom. The process of removing the makeup was a lot harder and tedious then he had first anticipated, choosing to just hop in the shower and scrub himself completely. 

Once completely clean, he dresses in a simple tee and boxers, lounging on his bed and doing a quick search on the internet as to what else he needs to do. Should he start prepping himself before Gladio gets back or was that something the older man would want to do himself. His anxiety begins to creep up from the depths and cause him to feel lightheaded with a slight bout of shakes. It was going to happen, he was going to- There’s a knock on the door. 

“Noctis? Are you all right? You didn’t come back down even after Gladio did.” Ignis asks from the other side of the door.

“Oh, yeah. Just have a slight headache and decided to call it a night. Don’t worry about me, go enjoy yourself some more, maybe ask Prompto to dance since he seemed to much of a chicken to.”

There’s a brief pause and a slight shuffling sound. “Oh. Well, do you need me to get you anything?”

“No, no I’m good. Thanks, Ignis.”

“You’re welcome Noct.” There’s another brief moment of silence followed by a fidget. “What did you and Gladio speak about, if I might ask?”

“Umm,” Noctis racks his brain for what to tell him. “it was, he saw me talking to that guy who sent the pictures. He had the same idea as you.”

“Oh? Well then, maybe you should invite him over for dinner one of these days, make him something nice and we can watch over you both.”

“You mean spy on.”

“Yes, well. Anyway, get some rest. Shall I tell them to turn the music down?”

“Nah, that doesn't bother me.”

“Very well, sleep well, Noct.”

“Thanks, Ignis.” the teen says and flops back on to his bed. 

Noctis rolls about trying to calm his nerves as he awaits Gladio return, then when he hears the doorknob turn, he about tumbles off the bed. The elder man steps in and locks the door behind him, turning to the teen and giving him a cheeky grin as he removes his jacket. 

“Ratty old tee and froggy print boxers, how romantic.” he chuckles and kicks off his boots.

“I could go ask that ‘sexy devil’ for her corset if you want.”

“Nah, this is fine. Besides those things are a bitch to take off someone.” Gladio says and sets a plastic bag on the nightstand, looking to the teen and snorting at his grumpy face. “I came from nobility, I had to help my sister out with her’s every time we went to anything fancy. I’m not that big of a jerk to talk about exes at a time like this.” Gladio tells him as he tips Noctis’ face up, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss. “I know I asked you before, but are you sure about this?”

“Yes, I am.” Noctis replies and wraps his arms around Gladio’s neck, pulling him down onto the bed with him and into a deep kiss. 

Without breaking the kiss, the former shield slips his shirt off but has to when he pulls Noct’s up over his head. They lay back together with Gladio kissing a trail down the younger man’s torso, drawing gasps and soft moans from him along with the occasional chuckle from the sensation of his beard scraping. Noctis runs his fingers across the man’s broad back, feeling all the blemishes on his skin and the pulsing muscles underneath before tangling his fingers in the long brown hair, pulling the band out that sends his mane draping down against his stomach where Gladio has been pressing kisses and nips for the past few minutes. This causes some anxiety for the teen.

“Why are you so focused on my stomach?”

“Because it’s so soft and doughy.” 

Noctis gives him a nudge. “Jerk.”

Gladio chuckles against his belly and tickles his skin that sends sparks coursing through his body, adding to the stimulation he’s feeling already. A sharp gasp tumbles from his lips as the large man slides down further, rubbing his large hand against the hardon inside Noct’s boxers and a slight wetness begins to form.

“Hmm, seems you’re about ready already. Should probably have you come once so you last longer for the next.” 

A heat travels down from the pit of his stomach to his groin as Gladio softly caresses him, writhing about and gasping as a sheen of sweat forms on his flesh. It feels so good, so much better than when it’s just him and his hand. Noct lets out a loud moan as the hand that was rubbing against him slips under the band of his boxer shorts, calloused fingers wrapping around his cock and stroking him. 

In a flash, Noctis lurches forward and wraps his arms around Gladio’s thick torso, holding onto him tightly and deeply kissing him to stifle the gasps and moans that flow from his vocal cords as he reaches his first release. Slowly he lets himself fall back against the bed with breathy pants and slight tremors as his lover begins to stop stroking him. Gladio removes his hand and with great ease, slides off the soiled boxers and tosses them to the floor, then looks to the teen and chuckles at the bashfulness he sees him developing as his legs press together tightly. 

“You had no issues parading around naked before, why are you acting all modest now?”

“This is, different.” Noct replies, his cheeks deeply rosy and shining with sweat. 

Gladio smiles tenderly and presses quick kisses to the boy’s kneecaps before sitting back. He begins to unbuckle his belt that he drops onto the floor before working on his trousers that join with the other clothing. Noctis lets out a snort this time.

“What?”

“I honestly took you for a commando type of guy.” he says eyeing the black boxer briefs that swaths a very large bulge. Noctis can’t help but stare, feeling a spark shoot through his body and make him quiver. 

“That would have caused way too much chafing, especially with all the running around, fighting, and sweating I did.” he tells him as he crawls over the teen’s small frame, looking down into his deep blue eyes and dipping in for a kiss. “You good to continue?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” 

Gladio gives him another quick kiss and sits up, hooking his fingers past the waistband and slides the underwear down his toned lower half until they are completely off. Noct locks his eyes on the uncovered cock, feeling slightly anxious but not the good kind. The length was slightly bigger than average and probably wouldn’t be much of a problem to get used to, it was the girth.

“You having second thoughts now?”

“N, no.” Noctis squeaks out.

“Don’t worry,” Gladio says sweetly and leans over the teen. “if it comes to it where I can get hard, I’ll make sure you are prepared and as comfortable as humanly possible.” 

The reassurance from his lover calms Noctis down, with him cupping his hands against Gladio’s face and pulling him into a passionate kiss as he slowly unclamps his thighs apart, allowing the larger man to nestle down in between.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (இ ‸ இ) Sorry it took so long to finish this chapter. Between work, moving to a new place, and doubting myself I haven't had time/been in the mood to write. I hope this is okay.

Noctis huffs with annoyance, arms folded across his sweaty bare chest and face flush from both embarrassment and the euphoria from his second orgasm after the two softly grinded against each other. This has led to some playful teasing from the older man who still hasn’t become fully hard. 

“Ass.” 

“Oh stop it.” Gladio chuckles and presses a quick kiss to the teen’s pursed lip, snorting and continues kissing him across his face. “This is your first time, you’re going to be overly sensitive to touches.”

“Were you?”

“Don’t really remember.” he says and kisses a trail down the teen’s body, stopping at his navel where Gladio begins mouthing about his stomach. 

Noctis can feel the tingle in his belly again, signaling he’s becoming aroused once again. He finds it to be greatly annoying and not how he pictured things going. Although there was something he could try with Gladio in an attempt to get him hard if he permits it.

“Hey, Gladio can I-” Noctis gasps out sharply as teeth gently press into his skin.

“Hmm? What is it babe?” he says and presses a kiss to the bite mark. 

“C, can I try something on you?”

“What do you have in mind?” 

“Umm,” the teen begins and turns red while biting his lip. He glances down in between them at Gladio’s cock, reaches his hand down and takes hold of it. “maybe if I touched you here, then maybe you would, you know.”

Gladio smiles and chuckles softly. “All right, if you want to.”

The large man sits up and allows Noct to do what he wants, letting out soft pants and moans as the teen clumsily strokes him. 

“Does it feel good?” Noct asks, an innocent and wide-eyed look on his face. 

The brunette chuckles and tips his face up, pressing a tender kiss to his lips. “It feels great Noct, keep going.” 

Noctis keeps at it, stopping a few times just to see if the older man had become erect, finding nothing really had changed. Undeterred though, he keeps at and eventually decides to take it a step further as he leans down and tentatively licks across the tip. 

Gladio’s breath hitches and he looks down. “N, Noct?”

Noctis glances up curiously, waiting for Gladio to tell him to stop but nothing is said and just given a nod. Noct continues to lavish licks over the cock tip, feeling the trembles coursing through the former shield’s body and hearing the soft moans tumbling from his lips. Thinking back to videos he watched before, Noctis slips more of the cock into his mouth and slides back up, repeating the moves and mixing in licks. A hand eventually stops his descent after he attempted to take Gladio down more than he could handle and gagged, giving a guttural growl in retort that appears to have felt good on Gladio's end, him sucking in a sharp breath followed by a moan. 

Thick fingers then card through Noctis hair, stroking the locks tenderly as Gladio gasps and pants from the pleasure the teen is lobbying on him before he slips his hand from Noct’s hair down his back. The teen arches slightly from the touch, moaning softly as Gladio caresses over his sensitive skin as he moves down to cup the young man’s ass. 

There’s a soft chuckle as Gladio squeeze’s one of the plump cheeks. “There’s another thing I like about you being doughy, you actually have an ass.”

Noctis lets the cock slip out of his mouth and scowls up at his lover, the man giving him a playful look before booping his nose. Then the older man looks further down and raises an eyebrow before gesturing to Noct, him looking down and noticing Gladio had become fully hard.

“It worked.”

“Seems so.” 

“So can we?”

“If you are absolutely sure this is what you want.” 

“Yes.”

Gladio nods and presses a quick kiss to the teen before lifting him up under his armpits, laying him back against some propped up pillows. He reaches for the bag he tossed aside earlier, sifting through it and pulling out a foil package along with a tube of lubricant. Noctis feels butterflies in his stomach along with a mix of excitement and nervousness. He still can’t believe this is happening. 

“Hey,” Gladio says as he effortlessly pushes Noctis’ legs up with one hand. “hold them up for me.”

Noct does as told and wraps his arms under his knees while watching Gladio intently. The tube is uncapped with some of the contents squeezed out over two of Gladio’s fingers, him rubbing the digits together and getting them slicked up. Noctis feels his heart pound in his chest and body tense up as a slippery finger presses against him, rubbing over the sensitive flesh that feels equal parts good and weird. 

“Try to relax. I’ll be as gentle as possible.”

“I know, I trust you.” Noct says and takes a deep breath, attempting to relax his body only to seize up and gasp when he feels a thick finger press into him. “Ah, ngh.” he whimpers out before biting his lip and shutting his eyes tightly. 

Gladio halts his movements and caresses a hand apologetically over the teen's thighs while speaking softly. “I’ll wait, tell me when it stops hurting.”

“It, it’s not that it hurts. It’s just,” Noctis swallows down the lump forming in his throat and attempts to relax again. “it feels weird.”

“I take it you never touched yourself there or used toys?”

Noct turns slightly red. “No, was too scared to try it, even though it seems the guys and girls in some of the videos I watched really enjoyed it.”

“Hmm, well if porn today is like how it was back when I was alive, most of it was scripted and forced.” 

“Yeah, uh.” Noct gasps and arches slightly as the finger pushes in deeper. His breathing begins to slow after Gladio pauses again and he tries to relax his body but he can’t and releases his trembling legs back onto the bed. “Sorry.”

Hey,” Gladio begins and leans in for a kiss. “don’t apologize, first times can be awkward. You should have heard what some of those dudes I was hanging with talked about.”

“I can only imagine.” Noctis says with a smile and wraps his arms around the older man’s neck, pulling him down into a deep kiss and explores each other’s mouths.

Focusing on the passionate kisses and exploring the muscled torso of the former shield keeps Noctis’ attention away from the prodding finger until a second joins in making the teen gasp and squirm. Gladio halts his movements and just kisses trails over the teen’s face and neck, then slowly travels down his chest and stomach until he arrives at the youth’s engorged cock, giving the organ a few strokes before taking it into his mouth.

“Ah! G, Gladio wait, don’t. I’m gonna, I’m gonna-” 

Noctis pants and writhes around, pleasure overtaking the weird feeling and of being stretched open. He becomes incoherent to the world, so wrapped up in euphoria that even after he comes for the third time his mind is jumbled. Noct lays there gasping and dripping with sweat, his arms slung over his eyes and lips parted, unaware the fingers have left him and Gladio has picked up the foil packet. A soft pat to his thigh gets his attention finally, looking to his lover as the man sits kneeled between his legs, slicking up the condom with more lube. 

“Move aside for me, we’re going to do this in a way it’ll be easier for me to set the pace and control both of our movements.” 

Noctis looks up and down Gladio’s large form as he regains his mind, cheeks turning a deep shade of red as he once again realizes what is about to happen. 

The brunette chuckles and leans in for a quick kiss before nudging the teen. “Second thoughts?”

“N, no.” Noct says and moves sluggishly due to still feeling the effects of his latest orgasm. 

Gladio takes his place leaning against pillows and grips the teen around his waist, hoisting him up effortlessly and plopping him down onto his lap. He cups Noctis’ cheeks and pulls him into a deep kiss, them both sighing and moaning into each other’s mouths, Noct resting his hands on Gladio’s broad shoulders while the other man slips his hands down the boy’s body until he comes to his hips. Noctis is the first to pull away, pressing kisses to Gladio’s scars before returning to his lips and nips at them. 

“Noct,” Gladio whispers breathily against the teen’s lips. “I’m going to start pushing in, so try not to tense up your body too much. But if it begins to hurt badly, please tell me.”

“I will.” Noctis whispers back. 

Gladio guides Noct to lean up slightly before he takes hold of his cock, lining it up with the teen’s entrance and pausing briefly. Noctis can feel the tremblings from his boyfriend's hand, finding it soothing in a way that he to was nervous. He leans in further and presses his lips to the other man’s before looking into his eyes, them both smiling affectionately and sharing another kiss. A soft cry escapes from Noctis as Gladio slowly begins to slide in, him taking a brief moment before sliding in deeper once the smaller man stops wincing. It did sting quite a bit and felt much weirder than the fingers, yet there was something that sent jolts through his body with each inch that slid into him, made his body tingle and grow increasingly hot. Gladio stops after he’s halfway in, holding Noct tightly around his hips, yet not so hard he’ll bruise and watches his facial expressions closely.

“You doing okay love?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of like before. But it hurts slightly more. Just give me a bit.” he says and slightly wiggles his hips, a moan escaping him followed by a gasp. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Gladio gently guides the teen up until only his cock head remains in and slowly slides him back down, a deep moan rumbling forth as Noctis gasps sharply again. This pace is kept up until Gladio feels Noctis can handle more, the teen now with a lax expression and moaning softly, and pushes completely in til they’re skin to skin. Noct’s face contorts from a wince to languid again, him then leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lover.

“You’re doing great.” Gladio replies and kisses him back. “You wanna try taking over?”

“Okay.”

Noctis rests his palms against Gladio’s broad chest and slowly raises his hips, then just as slowly sinks back down and gasps. Shifting to where he’s almost laying against the older man makes things much easier, him now just rolling his hips that allows the thick cock inside rub against his walls and put pressure against his prostate. Both men softly pant and moan, whispering each other's’ names and loving words with the occasional curse mixed in, their lips feathering together in quick kisses until Noct droops his head against Gladio’s broad chest with a muffled cry. The teen seizes up and experiences yet another orgasm, slumping down exhaustively against his boyfriend’s warm chest. 

Gladio chuckles and rubs Noctis back lovingly. “You done?”

Noctis groans and shakily pushes himself back up, looking with minor annoyance at the other. “No, I can keep going. You need to come too.”

“It’ll probably be a while before I can.” Gladio says and gives him a playful smirk. “Think you can keep up?”

“Damn right I can.” Noct retorts and pushes himself back up, grunting as he rolls his hips around and getting moans from Gladio. 

It doesn’t take long for Noctis to begin regretting his words, his back becoming stiff and losing all prior feelings of pleasure. But he wanted Gladio to have at least one orgasm before the night was through, wanting to experience that with him. 

“Hey,” Gladio reaches up and tenderly cups the teen’s sweaty face. “we can stop now if your hurting. Like I said earlier, there are other things we can do.”

Noctis shakes his head no and continues to rock, only to stop when his back seizes up. The older man purses his lips and wraps his arms around Noct’s waist, shifting them to where the teen is lying back against the bed and he’s leaned over him. Gladio peppers kisses all over his face and neck until he sees him relax, proceeding to adjust himself for better movements. Gently and cautiously he rocks his hips, pausing when the teen gasps and continuing when he begins moaning pleasantly. 

his feels much better to Noctis, him able to rest back as Gladio slides in and out of him, occasionally rolling his hips and adding the occasional rough thrust that makes him groan in pleasure. This, was what Noct had envisioned it would be like; Gladio making love to him gently, whispering softly against his skin and pressing kisses to the same spot. Noctis spindles his legs around Gladio’s torso and arms around his neck, holding on tightly and running his fingers through the thick brown hair as he gasps from pleasure. Gladio reaches a hand back and pulls one of the teen’s free from its death grip on him, pressing a kiss to his knuckles before lacing their fingers together against the bed.

“Feels great, uh, been so long.” he gasps out before pressing a kiss to his lover’s parted lips. “Shit, hah ah gods, Noct.”

Noctis looks deeply into the older man’s eyes, seeing them become hazy before fluttering shut, him gritting his teeth and grunting as he picks up a quicker pace. The bed begins to creak, the two men’s vocalness becoming greater as they move together in unison, Gladio thrusting quickly yet gently into Noctis as he lifts his hips at an angle everytime the older man slides back in. Then the feeling becomes too much and Noctis arches up, mouth open with soft squeaks coming out before he lets a loud cry out, coming hard between each other's stomachs. Gladio slips out and sits up, stroking himself quickly, gasps increasing before he tips his head back with a deep groan and shudder, his strokes beginning to slow before stopping completely and he just trembles. They look into each other's eyes lovingly, Noctis raises his trembling arms up for Gladio to come closer, then wraps his arms tightly around him and kisses him tenderly. He nuzzles his face into the older man's soaked hair, sighing out deeply as he comes down from euphoria and presses his lips against his boyfriend's ear. 

“This was perfect.” 

Gladio smiles at him and strokes against his flushed cheek. “It was.” he says and captures Noct's lips, then kisses the tip of his nose and his sweat-drenched forehead. “Now rest.”

Noctis wiggles himself over so Gladio can lay down and snuggles up flush against his overly heated body, lulling off to sleep in his boyfriend's strong hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deeply apologize for this chapter taking so long to be finished and put up, as well as how bad it is. Despite being moved in now, I am finding it hard to get the willpower to write this between work stress and just my own personal problems. Even doing quick one-shot prompts hasn't given me boosts like before. Again I'm sorry and will strive to get back to a steady upload pace. Thank you.

Noctis lays peacefully snuggled up in his blankets, a contented smile on his face despite the slight ache in his lower body as he slowly continues to awaken. The prior night had been everything he had hoped for even if it began contentiously with him being left alone by his boyfriend, but then Gladio had agreed to be his first and it was amazing. After reawakening from their first time, Gladio introduced the teen to many other forms of intimacy that felt just as great as the last and will stay with him for many years to follow. He just hopes the hickeys don’t last for more than a day.

Noctis snuggles down peacefully and sighs softly while reaching out to paw about the spot next to him, finding it empty. Maybe Gladio was up helping the other two survey the perimeter to make sure nothing was messed up from the night before. So the teen just lazes back down and starts nodding off, only for a loud crash and scream to startle him awake. Multiple more crashes and bangs from downstairs shake the house along with petrified screams that get him tumbling out of bed despite being achy, grabbing up a shirt and boxers. 

Was one of his friends being attacked? Had one of the ghosts been seen by a guest who was now freaking out?

After dressing, he rushes from the room and down the stairs as quickly as possible, feeling something strange and violent in the air that gives him goosebumps. As he gets down he stands stunned at the chaos taking place, seeing furniture uprooted and many knives wedged to the hilt in them. A large wok that Noctis never knew he had is pulled from a cabinet, being used similarly like a club and clangs multiple times against a broken end table that is levitating in the air. 

“Noct!?” 

The teen turns his head and locks eyes with Luna, her eyes widened in terror. “You need to stop them!” 

Noctis returns to the ensuing chaos briefly and bears witness to the end table splintering in half before the wok is tossed aside in favor of some kitchen knives that were originally splayed across the floor. Regaining his senses, he grabs up the pair of new glasses that are sitting atop the fireplace and dons them along with the earpiece, finding to his horror just what is going on. 

Gladio and Ignis are in the thralls of a violent fight, more one-sided with Gladio using furniture as a shield with Ignis being in full-on assault mode. Prompto is off to the side using a dining table as a barrier to protect Luna and the others while occasionally looking over the top of the table and pleading with his companions only to quickly return to hiding when debris hurdles towards him.

Why was Ignis freaking out and putting innocent people in harm's way to attack Gladio? What had- Oh, Oh shit. He knew. 

Noctis had to stop him before it gets worse and talk to him, but how? Then he remembers the journal and what was written inside. As quickly and carefully as possible Noctis turns the television on before dashing into the kitchen to turn on the microwave, and finally he grabs up the remote for his stereo system setting it to full blast that startles everyone. Ignis spins around spastically and scans the area before going ridged and plopping down onto the floor in a catatonic state. This gives the guests a chance to escape to safety, Luna snatching up the teen and dragging him out back where she gives him a deep frown with a sigh.

“He heard us?”

“Yes. He had said he wanted to make sure you were still feeling well and went upstairs, then came back down and began pacing around with a malevolent aura. I had wanted to speak with him but he hid after a while. I was unsure of what caused him issue and even Prompto couldn’t even find him. Then Gladiolus came down about a half hour ago and Ignis suddenly appeared. They exchanged words and some rather-” She begins to grimace. “vulgar accusations had been said and that’s when this all started.” 

“Ah shit.” Noctis groans and rubs the back of his head. It was his fault, for choosing to be selfish he caused a fight between the two friends and put innocents in danger. The teen sighs deeply and frowns at Luna, then he catches a glimpse of a sullen figure exiting the house and he grimaces. “Oh, Prompto, I should talk to him.”

Luna gives the teen a nod and a pat to the cheek. “That would be wise.” she says and heads over to talk to Nyx and the others. 

Prompto floats listlessly over to Noctis and puts a smile on his face that quickly melts into a tired frown. _“Hey.”_

“Hey. I’m sorry Prompto I-”

_“How come you never told me? I thought we were bros?”_

Noctis looks down in guilt. “I thought you would make fun of me if you knew.” he says and looks up sadly. “Or that you’d let it slip to Ignis.”

 _“Oh.”_ Prompto says, giving a nod of understanding yet he still looks hurt. _“I mean yeah I would have teased you a bit, because well, it’s Gladio of all people. But I wouldn’t have been mean about it. If you're happy then I’m happy.”_ Prompto says and slightly grimaces. _“Though I wouldn’t have told Ignis outright, knowing how shrewd he can be when it comes to gathering info and his reaction this morning, I probably would have caved.”_

“I should have just told you both from the start, it wouldn't have come to this.” 

_“Well, no, but there would probably have still been a fight between Gladio and Ignis. The two always had a rather turbulent relationship when it came to Noct, and, well, you now.”_

“Guess I should go talk to them and try to sort this out.”

Prompto gives the teen a pat on the head and a thumbs up before moving over to the koi pond. Noctis lets out a deep sigh and walks back towards the noisy house, peering inside and seeing Ignis still sitting stone-stiff in the center of the living room. He first shuts the television off, then carefully maneuvers towards the kitchen to the microwave, hoping that having it running empty didn’t cause any damage. Noctis returns to the living room and grabs up the stereo remote, taking one last deep breath and sits down in front of Ignis. The system is shut off and wrath-filled green eyes lock onto him making the teen’s heart leap into his throat.

“Hey, Ignis.” Noct says, putting on a soft smile in spite of the deathly look he’s getting from the other man. The smile fades away and Noctis gives the ghost a look of regret. “I’m sorry I-”

 _“You should be.”_ Ignis replies coldly, making the teen wince at the sting of the words. _“Going behind my back and lying to me while engaging in illicit activities with a man almost twice your age; who, I must remind you, is not alive and will leave you with a broken heart and a decreased mental health state. You disappoint me Noctis.”_ he snaps but then the anger gives way to hurt. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Would you have listened and not just flew off the handle if I did?”

Ignis goes to reply and stops, getting lost in his thoughts for a moment before responding. _“I suppose not.”_ he says and purses his lips. _“How long, has this been going on?”_

“More than a month.”

_“So it was around the time you had your meltdown and I told him not to play into your feelings.”_

“It’s not his fault Ignis, he was apprehensive but I was kind of pushy. Same with what happened last night, I’m the one who suggested it.” Noctis says and gives the other man a poignant look. “I love him and I know that he will have to leave me soon. But while I’ll be heartbroken, I’d rather it be with fond memories then of regrets. Same as becoming friends with you guys.”

_“All right, I understand and am sorry I went ballistic where I put your friends in harm's way.”_

“Thank you Ignis and I’m sorry again I hid all this from you. Now I think you owe an apology to Gladio too.”

Ignis’ face contorts into wrathful once again, making the teen frown.

_“Not until he does for all those vile slanderous insults he said to me.”_

Noctis huffs and shakes his head, feeling things were going to get much worse.

“NOCT!?” 

The teen and ghost jolt from shock, quickly rushing out back to where the others are. Noctis freezes and stares stunned at the lawn, seeing it covered in shimmering blue flowers. Luna looks back in shock and awe at him before her face lights up.

“I felt a pulsing coming from the crystal and I took it out. It was glowing vibrantly but then it felt tremendously hot and I dropped it, then there was a burst of light and all these flowers appeared.” 

Noctis towards her while gazing at the flowers until he sees the shard from the crystal and bends down to touch it, finding it to be warm still but manageable to be held. “Amazing.”

 _“Hey! I can feel this strong power coursing through me now.”_ Prompto says giddily. _“Like how I first did when I received Noct’s power.”_ he says and manifests a strange mechanical device with a squeal. _“Holy shit! I can use the armiger again. We can use more weapons to kick daemon asses with!”_

 _“Seems so.”_ Ignis says, clenching and unclenching his fist until a sear suddenly appears in his grasp that he hurls to his side, it connecting against a large metal shield with a _clang_.

Gladio lowers the weapon and scowls at the other man before looking around at the flowers and then to the teen. _“Hey.”_

Noctis smiles brightly and goes to run to the older man, however, a light shines from the crystal in his hand and slowly engulfs him as the others call out to him and he feels someone grab his hand. The light dissipates and he finds himself standing with Luna in an unfamiliar area. 

“What happened?”

“It would seem as though the crystal reacted again, as to what I am unsure.”

Noctis sighs and looks around. “So, where are we?”

“I am not sure, yet it feels strangely familiar.”

The two turn and look at the large stairwell that leads to a grand structure, feeling a strong pull towards it. At the top of the stairs, they see the familiar figure of Carbuncle awaiting them along with another more mysterious figure who smiles at them.

“It has been a long time, Noctis and Lunafreya.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, come visit and chat with me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am deeply sorry it has been taking me so long to update this, plus with how haphazard it is. Work hasn't slowed down at all and for the past week, I've been dealing with the ups and downs of a sick kitty that I may have to put down if her blood levels don't improve with the medication she's on. Again I am sorry, if there are any mistakes or if something doesn't make sense, please let me know. I've gone and reread this a dozen times but I'm still doubting myself yet I didn't want to put off uploading it anymore. Thank you all for sticking with this and me.

The two stare in shock as the figure descends the stairs, stopping before them and bowing. 

“I had hoped if we were to ever meet again it would have been under better circumstances, but it seems to be naught.” 

“Who- who are you and where are we?” Noctis asks, still flabbergasted as to what’s going on.

“This is what was formerly known as the Citadel, where the royal line of Lucis ruled years ago. And I,” the figure says and begins to reform into a sparkling light, turning into a greyish shimmering nymph that exuded an icy air. “am Shiva, one of the six.”

“The gods?” Luna says, slightly stunned yet greatly intrigued. “You were the one who was by the Oracle's side.”

Shiva smiles. “Yes, I acted as a messenger to her as she grew into a young woman.” 

“So why are we here? Did you summon us?” 

“Yes and you are here in hopes your innate powers can be reawakened once more in hopes of culling this new threat before it spreads. Thankfully it is rather minute at the present time, the scourge has the potential of taking a host and being passed on.” she says and looks to Noctis. “As you have bared witness to already.”

Noctis furrows his brows, wondering what she means until it comes back to him. Gladio’s possession and how he could have fallen victim to it if Carbuncle hadn’t been there to help. He briefly smiles down at the small guardian sharking his legs lovingly before looking back to Shiva. 

“So it spreads like a virus from one infected to the next?” Luna asks.

“Yes. A mere cough can spread it to others if they happen to be close enough to the carrier. It was a horrendous malady and it was thought to have been eradicated, it would seem not.” 

“But how could you not know, you’re one of the gods right?” Noctis asks, getting slightly huffy. “Can’t you put a stop to this? Or one of the others could?”

Shiva’s face falls into despair. “I am, with great sorrow to announce, all that remains of the astrals. The others either grew too weak helping the king of light and chose to instead use the last of their powers to help cleanse the lands, and to assist in your rebirths.” 

“And what about you?” 

“I stayed to search for the chosen king’s companions who spirits had not passed on. Yet upon finding them, I found something hellish that we did not foresee and chose to bound myself to the land in hopes of keeping it contained.” she says and frowns. 

“As well as Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto?” Noctis feels his annoyance growing, more so as the once great astral nods sullenly. “So is there any way to completely stop this ‘scourge’ and free them? Luna came up with an idea of somehow using the energy from the hallowed ground to give us an edge, will that work?” 

“Yes, along with some other things and I will do all that I can with what little strength I have left to assure it is possible.” she says and turns. “Follow me.”

The two do as asked and follow after the astral into the depths of the structure. It was like something out of a fantasy book, yet it had been a reality over a couple millennia before, his and the others’ reincarnated realities. They arrive before a grand stairwell that leads up to an ornate throne with garlands of blue flowers drape across its crest rail. Noctis feels both longing nostalgia and searing pain in his chest, it throbbing even more as he sees a grand sword leaned against the throne. A memory flashes in his mind, one from long ago and it causes more grief for the teen.

“I died here, or the old me did.” 

“Correct but now it will be the place of your next rebirth.” Shiva says and extends her hand out for the teen.

Noctis stares at her offered hand, a feeling of apprehension taking over him. What did she mean by next rebirth? Was he going to die or did it simply mean he would gain the powers of his predecessor? A tender smile from the astral calms him down and he takes her offered hand, allowing himself to be lead to the top of the stairs where the throne resides. Shiva releases her hold on his hand and carefully picks up the blade, gesturing for him to sit before handing him the sword. 

A strange tingling fills the teen’s entire body. “What’s going on, I feel weird.” he says and tries to move, only to find himself frozen in place. “The hell!?”

“Calm yourself young one, it will begin shortly.” 

“What wi-” 

A bright light bursts from the floor and engulfs him whole, but not before he sees the lone astral stand before Luna and take her by the hands, the two vanishing in a flash. Noctis finds himself in a strange realm where images and visions flit about, each showing what appears to be a memory of some sort. Just not his, but the old his’. He becomes so entranced by them he doesn’t even notice the figure approaching him until a sword tip is thrust under his chin, startling him and making him gasp.

“How pathetic.” a loud voice bellows forth from behind an ornate helmet.

Noctis slits his eyes in anger and steps back to put some space between himself and the newcomer. “Rude. That’s no way to treat a guest.” He looks around again. “Where ever we are.” 

“That is not important. What is though,” the figure says and raises his sword, it looking similar to the one Noctis himself holds. “you need to learn to harness your latent powers if you wish to put a stop to this impending calamity.” 

“Uh,” Noctis looks at the armor-clad man nervously. “I have no combat experience, nor magical powers. How am I supposed to-AH!” 

Noctis dives out of the way of a quick sword slash and hits the ground hard with a grunt. 

“You will learn to and I will be the one to do it. Now stand up!” 

The teen grimaces and stands, hoisting up the sword shakily and almost dropping it from how cumbersome it is.

“I’ve never done this before or held a sword, can’t you just guide me first before you start trying to kill me?” 

The figure just harumphs and charges the teen again, this time him managing to hold the sword up to block however he is still thrown backward harshly.

“Get up!”

Noctis winces and does as instructed, blocking another attack and getting thrown down once more. 

“Get up!” 

An anger begins to boil in the young man’s core, him standing and hoisting the sword up as he stares down his assailant. He catches a glimpse of a memory behind the figure, seeing how his old self and who appears to be a young Gladio engaging in a bout. He mimics the stance and keeps glancing forth between the image and his attacker until the man lunges again. This time Noctis anchors his legs down and blocking the blow just as the old him did, managing to stay standing and only being slid back a few feet. 

“Hmm, not bad, still need more work though.” the figure says and strikes again, yet he slips past the teen in a blue light and reappears behind him, delivering a harsh kick that sends Noct doubling to the floor in shrieking pain. 

The figure stops and stands over the teen, staring down at him with his head tilted to the side. “You have an injury to your back?”

“Well if I didn’t I would now you bastard!” Noctis snarls and grits his teeth as he tries to move only to find himself being able to slightly wriggle around. 

The figure reaches a hand down and rests it against the teen’s back, the pain suddenly subsiding in mere seconds after. Noctis quickly sits up and gropes about his back, still feeling the gnarled scars there yet no lingering pain or stiffness. 

“What’d you-”

“Up.” the figure commands and brandishes his sword again.

Noct lets out a deep sigh and stands, getting himself into another defensive position. The figure is slightly less ruthless this time around, at least by not striking the young man’s back, instead striking his legs with kicks that drop him to his knees. 

“Enough with the defense, try attacking me as I attack you.” 

A grunt escapes the youth, feeling frustrated that he isn’t getting him anywhere besides tossed around like a ragdoll. Then one of the floating visions catches his attention, watchingly intently and deciding to give it a try. The figure lunges at the teen and Noctis tosses his sword directly at the man’s chest, it clanging pitifully and dropping to the floor. The armored man stands stunned and looks down at the blade as Noctis huffs with anger.

“Damnit! It didn’t work!”

“What, were you trying to do?”

“That!” he grumps and points to the memory of his old self tossing a sword at an enemy, him then appearing next to the creature in a blue light and attacking.

“You were trying to warp strike me?” the figure asks, tone dumbfounded.

“Yeah! Well, if that’s what that was.”

The figures whole body begins to quiver, unnerving Noctis greatly until a burst of laughter rumbles forth and the man doubles over.

“Hey!” Noctis snaps and glares at the man. “I’m trying okay!? I’m sure you sucked too when you started.” he says and smiles smugly. “I bet Gladio has stories he can share.”

The figure goes stiff momentarily before letting out a soft chuckle. “I’m sure he does and you can ask him once you leave here.” the figure says and takes an offensive stance. “But before you can, you need to prove yourself.”

“Wait.” Noct says and raises his hand. “So how are you here if I’m the reborn you?”

“While you received the king of light’s reborn soul, I am merely an amalgamation of his magic and memories that were separated. And once you show you can handle them, they will become yours.” he explains and returns to his stance. 

Noctis looks down at the blade in his grip, pondering if this all will work out in the end and what will it mean for him to regain his prior selfs power. Will he cease being himself and become his old self? How will the three ghosts react to him? Will they see him as the old Noctis instead? Is Gladio going to stop loving him then? Will this new power even be enough? Is Luna going through a similar trial? What happens if they fail? Will they both have to sacrifice themselves? 

A hand rests upon his shoulder drawing him out of his thoughts and back to the other man, getting a nod of assurance from him. Noctis glances behind the figure and sees a vision of his old self-standing atop the grand staircase before his comrades, them bowing to him as daemons rise from the ground and he heads inside to do his duty. 

He feels a deep determination roll over him and he mimics the other’s stance. “Okay, let’s do this.”


End file.
